:-^% 

j"^' 


15 


■Sf 


# 

d! 

.$■ 

(0 

.  _ 

^ 

3 

1 

o 

^ 

«1> 

CO         4-< 

rH            O 

"^-^ 

IE 

£Z            ^ 

Q. 

0 

*^            v^ 

M- 

c:      c 

^55          ^ 

o 

03         -H 

^ 

5 

e      M 

^             g 

CD 

C 

0)         -P 

S        o 

bfl 

<D          O 

^                r^ 

<t 

M        o 

©               g 

3 

0>    |J4            'O 

^ 

E 

CO    W          C 

03 

CO 

LO  fd       +J 

'^ 

s 

O  >-D        w 

<k 

>% 

-H 

sx 

M    V 

^ 

■a 
o 

o  0    •  ^  a 

% 

rH  ^  CO  o    > 

CNI    ^  CO            f^ 

^ 

W 
O 

fO  CO    <D    ^ 

•^ 

c" 

>  rH  tH  ;C:    rj 

mo      H 

1 

1 

X 


:;.,:.::  ■JJ'S^ 


/ 


THE 


CHRISTIAN     DOCTRINE 


P  R  A  Y  E  E. 

AN  ESSAY. 
By  JAMES  FREEMAN  "CLARKE. 

'"'•  ^vyf]  udrov  Trpbs  top  Movov. 

THIRD     EDITION. 


BOSTON: 

WALKETv,    WISE,    AND    COMPANY 

rucLisnERS  for  the 

AMERICAN   UNITARIAN   ASSOCIATION, 

21  Broinfield  St. 

18  5  9. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 
The  American  Uxtitarun  Association, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 


"  Der  Regierung  der  dutch  Menschliche  injiheit  bewegten  "Welt  ist 
nur  mbglich  durch  die  Einwirkung  gbttlicher  Freiheit.  Diese  Ein- 
wirkung  glebt  den  philosophischeu  Begriff  des  Wunders,  tvelches 
daher  nur  mit  der  Vorsehung  selbst  geleugnet  werden  konnen."  — 
Hase,  Lehrbuch  der  Dogmatik^  §  150. 


University  Press,  Cambridge : 
Printed  by  Welch,  Bigelow,  and  Company. 


liECJUN  188: 
THSOLOG,,  / 


PREFACE. 


There  are  two  kinds  of  Prayer,  the  Prayer  of 
Faith  and  the  Prayer  of  Form.  Men  must  either 
pray  in  earnest,  because  they  expect  their  prayer 
to  accomplish  something,  and  ask  God  for  what 
they  want  just  as  they  would  ask  any  one  else, 

—  expecting  to  get  it;  and  this  kind  of  prayer 
1  call  the  Prayer  of  Faith.  Or  they  must  pray 
as  a  matter  of  propriety,  and  from  a  sense  of 
duty,  —  because  prayer  is  beautiful,  or  because 
prayer  is  commanded  ;  and  this  kind  of  prayer  I 
call  the  Prayer  of  Form. 

Now  when  people  get  to  praying  as  a  form, 

—  a  proper,  beautiful,  excellent  form  though  it 
be,  —  they  will  soon  leave  off  praying  at  all.  A 
certain  insincerity  is  felt  in  such  a  work.  We 
cannot  go  on  with  it.  To  speak  to  God,  and  ask 
him  to  give  us  this  and  that,  —  when  we  all  the 
time  believe  that  we  shall  get  it  not  a  whit  the 

a* 


IV  PREFACE. 

sooner  for  asking,  but  merely  shall  put  ourselves 
into  a  better  frame  of  mind,  —  is  not  sincere. 
It  is  not  truthful,  and  honest  men  cannot  do  it, 
nor  pretend  to  do  it. 

Little  children  pray  the  Prayer  of  Faith.  They 
ask  God  to  give  them  toys  and  playthings,  and 
they  bring  their  little  wants  and  notions  up  in 
their  prayers  very  artlessly  and  honestly.  We 
smile,  and  sigh  that  we  cannot  pray  so  too.  By 
and  by  they  grow  too  wise  to  continue  the  child- 
ish prayer,  and,  like  us,  leave  off  prayer  wholly. 

Our  ancestors  prayed  the  Prayer  of  Faith. 
When  the  wind  howled  around  their  lowly  huts, 
and  the  storm  rushed  darkly  from  the  forests,  — 
when  the  fierce  Pequot  and  the  savage  Philip 
with  his  wild  tribes  of  Indians  lurked  in  every 
shaded  dell  of  this  fair  New  England,  —  when 
the  crops  failed  and  they  were  about  to  starve,  — 
then  they  wrestled  with  God  in  prayer.  They 
labored  as  men  labor  in  ploughing  a  field,  till  in 
their  agony  of  supplication  they  fainted.  And 
when  the  help  came,  and  the  full-freighted  ship 
sailed  up  the  bay  with  its  white  sails  spread  wide 
like  some  broad-winged  bird,  then  they  believed 
most  surely  that  God  sent  her  in  answer  to  their 
prayer,  and  no  sceptic  among  them  all  asked 
concerning  the  time  when  she  sailed  from  port. 


PREFACE.  V 

But  some  time  in  the  last  century  there  arose 
wise  men,  —  disciples  not  of  Plato  nor  of  St. 
Paul,  but  of  Lord  Bacon,  —  men  who  believed  in 
science  more  than  in  inspiration,  —  and  they 
could  not  pray  any  longer  the  Prayer  of  Faith. 
They  studied  the  laws  of  nature,  —  they  rea- 
soned by  induction  from  effect  to  cause,  —  they 
were  experimental  philosophers.  Bishop  Berke- 
ley called  them  in  his  vexation  minute  philoso- 
phers. But  they  were  good  Christian  men,  and 
had  not  the  least  intention  of  denying  what  was 
in  the  Bible.  The  Bible  said,  Praij^  and  they 
said,  Pray.  Moreover,  they  had  learnt  to  pray 
at  their  mother's  knee,  and  felt  the  happiness  of 
communing  with  God,  and  did  not  wish  to  leave 
off  prayer.  So  they  said,  —  "  Pray.  Not  that 
prayer  will  give  you  anything  you  could  not 
have  had  without  it.  But  it  will  do  you  good. 
It  will  give  you  submission  to  God's  will,  pa- 
tience, devout  habits,  and  so  forth.  Pray,  by  all 
means,  for  spiritual  things;  for  God  will  give 
you  those  readily  in  answer  to  prayer.  But 
above  all.  Fray  without  ceasing ;  that  is,  be  in  a 
spirit  of  prayer  always.  Christ  uses  Oriental  fig- 
ures, figures  of  speech  ;  he  must  not  be  taken  too 
literally  when  he  says,  '  Believe  that  ye  shall  re- 
ceive  it,  and  ye  shall  have  it.'     God  gives  or 


VI  PREFACE. 

withholds  according  to  wise  providential  laws, 
and  not  according  to  our  prayers." 

After  this  doctrine  had  been  laid  down,  and 
the  Prayer  of  Propriety  or  Duty  or  Sentiment 
had  taken  the  place  of  the  Prayer  of  Faith,  men, 
as  we  said,  ceased  to  pray.  They  could  not 
continue  using  solemn  words  to  which  they  at- 
tached no  real  importance.  "  No,"  said  they. 
"  To  work  is  to  pray.  Do  your  duty  ;  that  is  the 
effectual  prayer  of  the  righteous  man.  Visit  the 
fatherless  and  widow  in  their  affliction.  Keep 
yourself  unspotted  from  the  world.  That  is  true 
Christianity  ;  better  than  many  Sabbath-days  full 
of  worship  ;  better  than  knees  stiffened  by  long 
hours  of  devotion.  He  that  doeth  righteousness 
is  righteous,  not  he  who  for  a  pretence  makes 
long  prayers." 

We  live  at  present  in  an  age  saturated  with 
these  ideas.  We  live  in  an  age  turned  wholly 
outward,  —  an  age  of  science,  of  steam,  of  rails, 
and  of  telegraphs,  —  an  age  of  cheap  postage, 
and  of  all  sorts  of  devices  to  make  our  outward 
life  comfortable  and  joyous.  Many  run  to  and 
fro,  and  knowledge  is  increased.  The  Christian- 
ity of  the  world  bears  good  fruit  in  attempts  to 
mitigate  the  horrors  of  barbarous  customs,  which 
come  down  unmitisated  and  unrelieved  through 


PREFACE.  Vll 

the  ages  of  faith,  —  slaveiy,  and  war,  and  pop- 
ular ignorance,  pauperism,  intemperance,  and 
manifold  evils.  Strong,  wise,  and  good  men  do 
not  now  go  on  their  knees  and  wrestle  all  night 
with  God  in  prayer ;  but  they  sit  up  all  night  by 
their  study-table,  and  marshal  hosts  of  facts  into 
such  shape  as  shall  convince  mankind  what  a 
mountain  of  ills  they  labor  under,  and  how  they 
shall  throw  them  off.  Good  men  of  to-day  — 
the  saints  of  our  day  —  do  not  dream  dreams,  see 
visions,  commune  with  angels,  they  are  caught 
up  into  no  third,  nor  even  second  heaven  ;  but 
they  visit  prisons  and  penitentiaries,  they  estab- 
lish hospitals  for  the  blind,  deaf,  lame,  dumb, 
and  insane,  they  labor  to  elevate  public  instruc- 
tion, they  struggle  to  make  the  laws  more  equi- 
table. And  for  all  these  labors  let  us  be  thank- 
ful to  God,  for  in  them  is  surely  to  be  found  the 
Christian  seed  ;  they  are  Christ-like  works. 

But  the  effect  of  these  doctrines  as  regards 
prayer,  we  see  all  around  in  other  forms,  not  so 
good  as  those.  It  appears  in  our  empty  church- 
es ;  in  young  men  and  women  deserting  the 
house  of  God,  where  whole  generations  used  to 
bend  together  in  awe  and  love,  the  old  man  with 
white  hair  kneeling  humbly  by  the  little  child 
with  silky  curls,  —  where  they  used  to  pray  in 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

earnest^  and  go  away  refreshed  at  heart  and 
stronger  for  any  work,  happier  for  any  joy.  We 
see  it  in  sermons  changed  to  popular  lectures,  — 
no  longer  earnest  arguments,  appeals  from  dying 
men  to  dying  men,  but  rhetorical  essays  on  some 
theme  of  philosophy,  taste,  politics,  or  social 
utility.  We  feel  it,  moreover,  in  the  emptiness 
of  our  own  hearts,  in  our  secret  consciousness 
that  we  are  not  acting  out  our  highest  nature, 
not  living  for  the  great  end  of  our  being,  not 
growing  into  all  that  God  desires  and  intends  for 
us.  We  give  ourselves  to  the  world,  though  the 
world  does  not  satisfy  us.  We  labor  to  do  good 
in  some  way  to  those  about  us,  but  we  feel  that, 
while  we  are  ourselves  empty  of  spiritual  life,  we 
can  do  them  no  real,  no  lasting  good. 

And  look,  too,  at  our  philanthropic  efforts. 
They  are  efforts,  all  of  them,  in  the  right  direc- 
tion. This  age  applies  Christianity  as  Christ 
himself  would  have  it  applied,  and  as  those  ages 
of  Faith  and  Prayer  never  applied  it.  I  there- 
fore am  not  looking  for  salvation  in  the  past.  I 
thank  God  for  the  immense  advances  we  are 
making,  and  have  made,  in  a  true  understanding 
of  the  Gospel.  But  with  all  this  light,  where  is 
the  heat  ^  Where  is  the  energy  which  once  bore 
men  from   land  to  land,  and  heaped  them   by 


PREFACE.  IX 

myriads  around  an  empty  grave  in  Palestine  ?  I 
stood  myself  in  a  pulpit  from  which  Bernard  of 
Clairvaux  in  1150  preached  the  second  Crusade. 
"  And  is  it  possible,"  I  thought,  "  that  there  was  a 
power  of  faith  which  could  cany  Europe  to  per- 
ish on  the  hot  sands  of  Asia  for  such  an  object 
as  that,  six  several  times,  and  that  we  cannot 
raise  a  Christian  crusade  to-day  against  our  own 
great  social  evils  ?  There,  for  example,  is  slav- 
ery, which  turns  our  fellow-men  into  things, 
which  threatens  us  with  disunion,  which  tramples 
on  the  rights  of  men,  which  disgraces  us  before 
the  civilized  world.  We,  Philanthropists,  when 
all  our  religion  has  run  into  philanthropy,  and 
we  say  to  work  is  to  pray,  —  what  do  we  ?  The 
most  we  do  is  to  make  a  few  antislavery  speech- 
es,  hold  a  few  antislavery  fairs  and  picnics,  cir- 
culate a  few  newspapers  and  tracts,  and  throw  a 
small  vote  here  and  there  for  antislavery  repre- 
sentatives. Luther,  by  himself,  a  man  of  faith 
and  prayer,  shook  with  his  single  arm  the  vast 
power  of  Rome,  till  its  foundations  trembled  in 
every  country,  and  its  battlements  came  down  in 
ruins  through  half  of  Europe.  Loyola,  another 
man  of  prayer,  came  forth,  and  by  his  single 
voice  called  out  an  army  of  tens  of  thousands  to 
man  those  broken  walls  and  rebuild  those  shat- 


X  PREFACE. 

tered  bulwarks.  Xavier,  and  Henry  Martyn,  and 
Swartz,  and  Marquette,  men  of  prayer,  circle  the 
earth  in  their  flaming  zeal,  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  tens  of  thousands.  How  poor  a  thing  is  our 
Philanthropy  beside  their  Religion  !  But  let  our 
philanthropy  be  animated  by  a  religion  like  theirs, 
—  let  us  not  merely  say,  "  To  work  is  to  pray,'''' 
but  "  Pray  that  we  may  work,''''  —  and  all  their 
exploits,  compared  with  what  we  may  do,  will  be 
as  nothing. 

t  Every  human  being  is  an  immortal  soul  in  a 
mortal  body.  That  mortal  body  in  a  few  years 
will  be  laid  aside,  and  will  have  gone  to  the  earth 
whence  it  came.  It  is  an  organ,  for  a  few  years, 
through  which  the  undying  spiritual  force  within 
it  shall  be  manifested  and  shall  be  developed. 
That  spiritual  force,  that  immortal  soul,  can 
draw  its  life  only  from  God,  its  fount  of  being. 
Without  a  constant,  steady  communion  with  him, 
it  is  drawn  down  by  its  fleshly  instrument,  it  is  im- 
mersed in  sense,  it  is  buried  already  in  the  body 
which  itself  is  to  be  buried  in  the  grave.  Inward, 
toward  God,  we  must  go  continually  for  spiritual 
force,  —  outward,  toward  man  and  life,  to  exer- 
cise it.  We  must  come  to  know  and  love  God, 
the  sum  and  substance  of  all  spiritual  life,  or  it  is 
idle  to  talk  of  loving  man  or  doing  anything  for 


PREFACE. 


him.  We  must  have,  to  give.  We  must  drain 
from  an  eternal  fountain,  from  a  well  that  never 
becomes  dry,  in  order  to  water  the  smallest  gar- 
den or  plot  of  ground. 

Now,  in  order  to  have  a  real  energy  of  spiritual 
life,  we  must  have  actual  intercourse  with  God 
himself.  To  think  about  him,  to  meditate  upon 
his  works  and  ways,  is  one  thing ;  to  commune 
with  him,  another.  And  to  commune  with  him, 
we  must  have  something  to  say  to  him  ;  and  that 
something  must  be  something  out  of  our  actual 
life,  something  which  really  interests  us,  not 
something  which  we  think  ought  to  interest  us. 
We  must  say  to  God  something  we  wish  to  say, 
and  not  something  we  think  we  ought  to  say. 
Our  prayer  must  not  be  made  of  supposed  pro- 
prieties ;  it  must  be  the  "  souFs  sincere  desire." 
Therefore,  God,  in  order  that  men  may  come 
into  real  communion  with  him  and  so  receive 
real  vital  energy,  —  faith,  love,  peace,  joy,  — has 
ordered  it  so  that  we  may  speak  to  him  of  our 
real  wants,  and  of  all  of  them,  and  by  an  earnest 
petition  do  something  towards  realizing  those 
wants.  Just  as,  when  a  man  ploughs  the  ground 
and  plants  his  seed,  he  cooperates  with  divine 
laws,  the  natural  result  of  which  is  a  harvest ;  so 
when  a  man  prays  for  any  thing  he  really  wants, 
h 


Xll  PREFACE. 

and  while  he  prays  endeavors  to  abide  in  the 
spirit  of  Christ  and  pray  out  of  that,  he  coop- 
erates with  other  divine  laws,  the  natural  result 
of  which  is  the  receiving  what  he  asks.  Not  al- 
ways, not  always,  in  either  case.  The  man  may 
plough  and  sow,  and  no  crop  come  ;  still,  there  is 
a  tendency  in  ploughing  and  sowing  to  make  the 
crop  come.  A  man  may  pray  for  his  sick  child's 
recovery,  and  the  child  die  nevertheless.  But 
there  was  a  tendency  in  his  prayer  to  save  his 
child's  life.  And  in  many  cases,  we  may  rea- 
sonably believe  the  power  of  prayer  will  accom- 
plish what  otherwise  would  not  come  to  pass. 
We  may  believe  that,  if  all  those  who  are  labor- 
ing for  the  downfall  of  social  evils  would  work  as 
much,  and  pray  for  their  downfall  too,  —  pray  for 
wisdom,  courage,  faith,  humility,  with  which  to 
combat  them,  —  they  would  speedily  yield  before 
this  union  of  work  and  prayer. 

One  thing  only  is  to  be  noticed.  There  are 
two  conditions  on  which  the  full  answer  to  prayer 
depends.  One  is  Faith,  —  that  is,  to  ask  in  ear- 
nest ;  and  the  other  is  to  abide  in  Christ,  —  that 
is,  to  ask  in  a  Christian  spirit.  The  men  who 
have  lived  in  believing  ages  have  not  usually 
prayed  in  a  Christian  spirit,  or  with  the  Christian 
purpose.     It  was  not  the  kingdom  of  God  they 


PREFACE.  Xlll 

prayed  for,  but  their  own  success,  the  triumph  of 
their  own  party,  the  extermination  of  heretics. 
Therefore  their  prayers,  not  being  of  those  who 
abode  in  Christ,  and  his  words  not  abiding  in 
them,  were  ineffectual  in  obtaining  their  ends. 
The  heretics  were  not  conquered,  the  tomb  of 
Christ  did  not  remain  in  Christian  hands.  But 
because  they  asked  in  faith,  they  were  them- 
selves filled  with  energy  which  enabled  them  to 
grapple  with  all  the  powers  of  the  world,  or  to 
stand  amid  flames,  praising  God. 

But  when  the  day  comes  that  with  their  faith 
we  shall  also  ask  in  the  spirit  of  Christ,  with  his 
words  abiding  in  our  minds  and  hearts,  then  not 
only  shall  we  have  new  powers  of  soul  given  to 
us,  but  we  shall  see  God's  kingdom  come.  We 
shall  see  war  and  slavery  and  cruelty,  all  self- 
ish institutions  and  all  wicked  customs,  crum- 
bling away.  We  shall  see  Christ  coming  to  reign 
over  a  world  subdued  by  the  power  of  Faith  and 
Goodness. 

In  this  treatise  v/hich  follows,  we  have  attempt- 
ed to  set  forth  some  of  the  reasons  of  this  be- 
lief; we  have  wished  to  promote  and  revive  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  by  showing  the  truth  concerning 
it;    we   have  endeavored  to  show  how   Divine 


XIV  PREFACE. 

Grace  can  be  paired  with  Human  Freedom,  and 
Love  be  at  one  with  Law.  We  have  thus  done 
something,  we  trust, 

"  to  overrule  the  hard  divorce 
Which  parts  things  Natural  and  Divine." 


CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER  I. 

PRELI3IIXART. 

PAG£ 

SECT. 

1.  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.  —  Importance  of 

Prayer  to  the  Life  of  the  Soul  ....      1 

2.  Present  Tendency  to  undervalue  Prayer   .        .  5 

3.  Spirit  of  this  Age  goes  to  produce  the  Sense  of 

Obligation  rather  than  of  Dependence,  and  so 
weakens  the  Spirit  of  Prayer    ....      7 

4.  Science,  Plirenology,  Ethics,  and  Spiritualism  see 

God  rather  as  Law  than  as  Love,  and  so  weak- 
en the  Spirit  of  Prayer  ....  9 

5.  Two  Theories  concerning  Prayer  which  weaken 

its  Spirit;— Eirst,  that  we  ought  not  to  pray 

for  Temporal  Things ;   Second,  that  the  only 

.     Answer  to  Prayer  is  its  own  Reaction      .        .     14 

6.  But  the  Sight  of  Divine  Law  may  be  united  with 

that  of  Divine  Love,  as  it  was  in  Jesus  Christ       1 6 

7.  To  contribute  toward  this  Reconciliation  of  Eaith 

in  Order  with  Faith  in  Love,  is  the  Object  of 
this  Essay      .  ^^ 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  11. 


DOCTRINE    OP  JESUS   AND    THE    APOSTLES   CON- 
CERNING  PRATER. 

8.  "  Pray  in  Secret  ' -25 

29 
.  35 

43 
.  47 

55 
.  57 

71 
.  73 

78 


9.  "  Use  no  vain  Repetitions  " 

10.  Prayer  of  Faith      . 

11.  Persevering  Prayer    . 

12.  Prayer  in  the  Name  of  Christ 

13.  Prayer  without  ceasing 

14.  The  Lord's  Prayer 

15.  Prayers  of  Jesus 

16.  Prayer  of  Jesus  in  John  xvii. 

17.  The  Prayer  at  Gethsemane 


CHAPTER  III. 


OBJECTIONS   TO  PRATER. 


18.  Metaphysical  and  Abstract.  —  The  Divine  Attri- 

butes   86 

19.  Scientific     Objections.  —  Laws     of    Nature.  — 

Combe's  Constitution  of  Man        ...        88 

20.  Psychological  Objections.  —  Human  Freedom      .  100 

21.  Transcendental  Objections         .        .         .        .102 

22.  Prayer  a  Reaction.  —  Objections  to  this  Theory      105 

23.  Prayer  should  be  only  for  Spiritual  Blessings.  — 

Objections  to  this  View 109 


CONTENTS.  XVII 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PREPARATIONS   FOR  PRAYER. 

24.  General  Remarks 11^ 

25.  Organic  and  Psychological  Preparations    .        .119 

26.  Preparation  of  the  Heart 124 

27.  Preparation  of  the  Mind 127 

28.  Experience.  —  Out  of  the  Depths  .        .        .134 

CHAPTER  V. 

METHODS. 

29.  Private  Prayer 141 

30.  Pamily  and  Social  Prayer 145 

31.  Public  Prayer 1^^ 

32.  Liturgic  or  Extemporaneous         .        .        .        '158 

33.  Stated  Times  and  Spontaneous  .        .        .158 

34.  Without  Ceasing 163 

35.  For  What -?    Topics  of  Prayer  .        .        .165 

36.  To  Whom?     Object  of  Prayer     .        .        .        .170 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MOTIVES   AND   RESULTS. 

37.  Necessity  and  Advantage 178 

38.  Prayer  a  Duty  or  a  Privilege        .        .        •        '182 


XVlll  CONTENTS. 

39.  The  Holy  Spirit 190 

40.  Christ  in  the  Heart.  —  Inward  Life       .        .        .192 

41.  Christ  in  the  Character.  —  Moral  Culture  .      204 

42.  Christ  in  the  Church.  —  Christian  Union  and  Co- 

operation   210 

43.  Clirist  in  the  World 217 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

THE    SPIRITUAL   LIFE. 

44.  The  Spiritual  Life  as  the  Source  of  Prayer  .        .  225 

45.  The  Soul :  its  Nature  and  Capacities        .        .      226 

46.  The  Value  of  the  Soul,  shown  by  Five  Arguments  230 

47.  The  Soul's  Hidden  Life 240 

48.  A  Hidden  Life  the  Evidence  of  Sincerity  .         .      243 

49.  The  Hidden  Life  known  to  God   .        .        .        .246 

50.  The  Natural  Man  does  not  discern  Spiritual  Truth  253 

51.  Nature  of  Sin,  and  the  Absence  of  a  Sense  of  Sin  266 

52.  How  Men  say  they  have  no  Sin        .        .        .271 

53.  Confession  of  Sin,  and  its  Results        .        .        .  279 

54.  The  Soul's  Assurance 291 

55.  The  Soul's  Content 303 


THE 

CHRISTIAN   DOCTRINE    OF   PRAYER. 


CHAPTER    I 


PRELIMINARY. 


§  1.     General  Survey  of  the   Subject.  —  ImpoV' 
tance  of  Prayer  to  the  Life  of  the  Soul. 

The  religious  needs  of  our  time  seem  to  re- 
quire a  new  investigation  of  the  Christian  doc- 
trine of  Prayer.  On  this  subject,  as  on  so  many- 
others,  an  unreconciled  dispute  has  long  existed 
between  the  claims  of  Reason  on  the  one  side, 
and  those  of  Faith  on  the  other.  The  theologi- 
cal problem  for  the  present  centuiy  is  to  make 
permanent  peace,  and  not  a  mere  armistice,  or 
suspension  of  hostilities,  between  these  contend- 
mg  parties.  This  peace  cannot  be  effected  by 
the  triumph  of  either  party,  but  only  by  full  jus- 
tice being  done  to  the  claims  of  both.  Not  by 
ignoring  or   postponing   the   difficulties,    but   by 


'Z  THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

fully  stating  them  and  fairly  meeting  them,  can 
we  now  hope  for  any  real  progress,  any  perma- 
nent advance,  in  theology.  Something  has  al- 
ready been  done,  at  least  the  foundation  of  the 
future  temple  has  been  laid,  in  the  admission, 
now  so  universal  among  enlightened  and  relig- 
ious men,  that  there  can  be  no  real  conflict  be- 
tweeri  Faith  and  Reason.  It  remains  only  to  ap- 
ply this  principle,  with  unshrinking  fidelity,  to  all 
separate  questions  of  theology  where  the  conflict 
still  exists  unreconciled;  and  among  these,  the 
doctrine  concerning  Prayer  is  one  of  the  most 
important. 

This  doctrine  lies  very  near  the  heart  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  two  great  principles  which  consti- 
tute the  Christian  life  are  those  of  accountability; 
and  dependence.  Religion  has  sometimes  been 
defined  as  the  sense  of  obligation  toward  God ; 
and  again,  it  has  been  defined  as  the  sense  of 
dependence  upon  God.  But  if  we  consider  the 
facts  of  religious  experience,  we  shall  see  that 
the  religious  life  can  in  no  case  come  into  exist- 
ence but  by  the  marriage  of  these  two  principles. 
It  IS  only  from  the  action  and  reaction  of  the  two 
upon  each  other,  that  the  life  of  religion  in  the 
soul  proceeds.  The  sense  of  obligation,  without 
the  sense  of  dependence,  produces  only  moral 


PRELIMINARY. 


efTort  and  struggle,  —  not  life  and  progress.  The 
sense  of  dependence,  without  the  sense  of  obli- 
gation, produces  only  the  fleeting  and  effeminate 
moods  of  pious  emotion.  But  Christianity  is 
neither  a  cold  moral  effort,  on  the  one  hand,  nor 
a  pious  emotion  on  the  other,  but  a  life.  It  is  a 
life  in  the  soul,  rooted  in  conviction,  manifesting 
itself  in  action,  bearing  the  fruits  of  love  and  joy. 
It  IS  activity,  conscious  yet  spontaneous.  It  is  at 
once  a  happy  growth  and  a  determined  effort; 
perpetual  progress  outward  into  the  universe,  to 
meet  God  more  and  more  fully  in  the  variety  of 
his  works ;  perpetual  inward  rest  in  the  centre  of 
the  soul  in  full  communion  whh  the  One  Alone. 
Now  this  life  is  constantly  fed  at  its  roots  by  the 
sight  of  the  Divine  Law,  which  reawakens  the 
sense  of  obligation,  and  by  the  sight  of  the  Divine 
Love,  which  creates  anew  the  sense  of  depend- 
ence. The  law  of  God  rouses  the  soul  to  effort ; 
but  no  sooner  is  the  soul  thus  led  into  active  ef- 
fort to  do  God's  will,  than  it  becomes  aware  of 
its  weakness.  And  so  it  is  led  into  the  sense  of 
dependence,  that  by  opening  itself  to  God  it 
may  receive  from  above  the  needed  power.  And 
again,  the  moment  that  it  finds  itself  filled  with 
new  joy,  new  light,  new  power,  it  is  moved  to 
exert  that  power  in  the  service  of  Him  who  gave 


4  THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

it ;  and  so  the  sense  of  power  awakens  the  con- 
viction of  responsibility  for  the  use  of  it.  This 
is  the  natural  history  of  Religion  in  the  soul,  — 
flie'Book  of  Genesis  of  the  New  Creation. 

Hence  we  see,  that,  to  any  real  Christian  life, 
the  sense  of  dependence  is  absolutely  essential. 
But  this  in  its  largest  sense  is  nothing  other  than 
the  act  of  prayer.  Prayer  is  essentially  turning 
to  God  with  the  conviction  of  need,  and  in  full 
reliance  that  this  need  can  be  supplied.  Every 
thing  else  in  prayer  is  outside  of  this,  either  as 
its  consequence  or  its  preparation  ;  something 
secondaiy,  or  something  ancillary.  This  is  its 
heart.  But  to  produce  this  full  reliance  which  is 
essential  to  prayer,  it  is  equally  essential  that  we 
should  see  God  as  the  living  God,  coming  to 
meet  the  individual  soul  with  special  help  ac- 
cording to  its  special  needs.  We  must  believe 
not  only  in  God  as  a  Divine  Law  of  universal  be- 
nevolence, as  a  great  and  bounteous  Order  of 
creation,  but  also  as  bound  in  a  personal  and  spe- 
cific relation  with  each  individual  soul.  Without 
this  conviction,  the  sense  of  dependence  is  pas- 
sive, and  not  active.  It  is  resignation,  and  not 
expectation.  It  is  submission,  and  not  hope. 
And  it  is  only  an  active,  expectant,  and  hopeful 
reliance  on  God  which  so  opens  the  soul  to  Him 


TENDENCY  TO  UNDERVALUE  PRAYER.     5 

that  His  life  flows  into  it  steadily,  and  becomes  its 
constant  strength. 

§  2.    Present  Tendency  to  undervalue  Prayer. 

But  there  are,  at  the  present  time,  many  things 
which  go  to  weaken,  where  they  do  not  destroy, 
this  faith  in  a  living  God.  There  have  been  ages 
of  the  world  in  which  this  was  otherwise  ;  ages 
which  suffered  from  the  opposite  tendency  ;  ages 
which  believed  rather  in  a  particular  than  a  uni- 
versal Providence.  Those  were  the  days  of  mir- 
acles, visions,  and  preternatural  visitations,  — 
ages  of  Faith,  but  not  ages  of  Love.  They  saw 
God  inwardly,  very  near ;  as  a  special,  and  even 
a  partial  friend.  They  did  not  see  him  outward- 
ly near,  as  the  universal  and  impartial  Benefac- 
tor and  Father,  Therefore,  these  ages  of  Faith 
have  been  also  ages  of  cruelty,  tyranny,  and 
hard  selfishness  ;  in  which  man  has  trampled 
upon  the  rights  of  his  brother.  But  the  world 
has  moved  round  to  the  opposite  side  of  its  orbit, 
and  we  are  now  breathing  a  difTerent  spiritual 
atmosphere.  We  have  come  to  see  God,  with 
more  or  less  distinctness,  as  the  great  Benefactor 
in  the  outward  world  :  we  see  his  benign  provi- 
dence operating  for  the  good  of  the  whole  :  but 
we  have  lost,  more  or  less,  our  confidence  in  his 
1* 


b  THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

living  presence.  Seeing  him  as  Order,  we  see 
him  in  no  other  way.  For  such  is  the  limitation 
of  the  human  mind,  that  every  new  revelation 
of  truth  shuts  out,  for  the  time,  some  other  truth  ; 
as  the  rising  of  the  sun,  while  it  reveals  the  earth, 
hides  the  stars.  Thus  the  very  manifestations 
of  God  in  nature,  in  providence,  in  human  his- 
tory-, and  in  the  human  soul,  inevitably  make  it 
more  difficult  to  retain  the  faith,  so  natural  to 
former  ages,  in  God  as  a  living  God,  who  hears 
and  answers  prayer,  and  who  meets  the  soul 
more  than  half-way.  The  spirit  of  the  age  is  in 
the  air  we  breathe.  It  can  only  be  shut  out  by 
the  natural  barriers  of  ignorance,  or  the  artificial 
defence  of  that  exclusive  spirit  which  shuts  its 
eyes  to  every  thing  not  in  its  own  creed.  But 
such  a  will-worship,  while  it  loses  the  advantages 
of  its  own  time,  csmnot  effectually  regain  those 
of  the  past  It  is  only  the  device  of  the  ostrich, 
which  hides  its  head  in  the  ground  in  order  not 
to  see  the  danger.  Despite  such  precautions,  the 
danger  is  at  hand ;  and  it  Ls  better  to  look  it  in 
the  face. 


OBLIGATION    A>-D    DEPENDEN-CE.  i 

§  3.  Spirit  of  this  Age  goes  to  produce  the  Sense 
of  Obligation  rather  than  of  Dependence,  and 
so  iceakens  the  Spirit  of  Prayer. 

Wliat,  then,  are  the  ideas  which,  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  tend  in  many  to  destroy,  and  m  all  to 
weaken,  the  conviction  that  God  really  hears  and 
answers  prayer,  and  thus,  instead  of  the  prayer 
of  Faith,  leaves  us  only  the  prayer  of  propriety-, 
of  duty,  of  sentiment,  or  of  superstition.  It  is 
unquestionably  the  case,  that,  wherever  the  ideas 
and  the  culture  of  the  present  age  have  gone, 
that  part  of  Christianity  which  consists  in  the 
spirit  of  dependence  is  not  in  equipoise  with  the 
other  side,  which  consists  in  conscientious  effort 
and  the  sense  of  dut^^  There  is  more  of  moral- 
ity than  of  piet^' ;  more  of  conscience  than  of 
faith  ;  more  of  duty  than  of  devotion ;  more  of 
obedience  than  of  prayer.  Men  speak  of  duty 
and  of  responsibility  easily  and  naturally,  as  of 
a  part  of  their  common  life.  If  they  speak  of 
prayer,  it  is  in  tones  of  formality,  as  of  some- 
thing unnatural  and  far  off,  away  from  actual  ex- 
perience. Travellers  to  the  East  are  struck  and 
awed  by  the  spirit  of  pure  devotion  often  found 
subsisting  with  the  superstitions  of  heathenism. 
In  Burmah  and  Hindostan  the   people  are  seen 


8  THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER- 

with  their  faces  to  the  ground,  absorbed  in  the 
depths  of  prayer,  inattentive  to  all  that  is  passing 
around  them.  In  all  ]\Iohammedan  lands,  when 
the  hour  of  prayer  sounds  from  the  mosque  or 
\  minaret,  at  morning,  at  noon,  or  at  the  evening 
twilight,  all  business  is  momently  suspended. 
The  trader  leaves  his  bargain  incomplete  and 
spreads  his  carpet  on  the  floor  of  his  shop,  the 
sailor  on  the  Nile  falls  prostrate  on  the  deck, 
and  if  you  enter  the  mosque,  so  silent  that  you 
thought  it  empty,  you  find  it  filled  with  absorbed 
worshippers.  Pass  into  Roman  Catholic  coun- 
tries, and  already  there  is  less  of  devotion  than  in 
Mohammedan  countries,  but  more  than  in  Prot- 
estant ;  and  in  Protestant  communities,  the  most 
enlightened,  and  perhaps  we  may  add  the  most 
moral  sects,  are  the  least  devout  and  prayerful. 
Why  is  it,  that,  as  the  scale  of  devotion  rises, 
that  of  morality  should  sink,  when  we  all  believe 
that  they  belong  together.?  Why  is  it  that  the 
most  cultivated  sects  among  the  Protestants 
should  be  the  most  moral  and  the  least  devout, 

—  that  Protestants  generally  should  have  more 
of  morality  and  less  of  piety  than  the  Catholics, 

—  that  the  Catholics  should  have  more  of  moral- 
ity and  less  of  piety  than  the  Mohammedans,  and 
that  perhaps  the  same  law  may  apply  to  the  re- 


SCIENCE    AND    DEVOTION.  9 

lation  between  the  monotheistic  Mohammedans 
and  the  polytheists  of  the  East?  Various  an- 
swers may  be  given,  but  one  reason  at  least  is 
this :  that  thos^e  views  of  God  held  in  our  age  by 
the  most  cultivated  tend  to  produce  a  greater  de- 
velopment of  the  conscience  and  the  sense  of 
obligation  than  of  the  sense  of  dependence  ;  and 
that  those  communities  and  nations,  therefore, 
which  partake  most  fully  of  the  spirit  of  this  time, 
partake  also  more  fully  both  of  its  advantages 
and  of  its  disadvantages. 

^  4.  Science^  Phrenology^  Ethics,  and  Spirit- 
ualism see  God  rather  as  Law  than  as  Love, 
and  so  weaken  the  Spirit  of  Prayer. 

But  let  us  examine  more  particularly  those 
views  prevailing  among  ourselves  which  tend 
either  to  prevent  or  to  weaken  the  prayer  of 
faith.  All  proceed  from  the  same  idea,  funda- 
mental in  modern  culture,  which  regards  God's 
goodness  in  Order,  rather  than  his  love  in  Free- 
dom. But  while  the  essential  view  is  ever  the 
same,  a  view  in  which  the  prominence  of  Law 
conceals  Love,  it  takes  different  forms,  accord- 
ing to  the  pursuits  and  tendencies  of  individuals. 
Thus  we  have  at  least  four  classes  of  thinkers, 
all  earnest  and  influential,  the  tendency  of  whose 


10        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

pursuits  is  to  destroy  all  conviction  in  the  reality 
of  an  answer  to  prayer.  First,  there  are  men  of 
science,  students  of  matter,  penetrating  in  every 
direction  amid  the  tangled  phenomena  of  the  ma- 
terial universe,  searching  always  for  facts  and 
laws.  These  are  always  passing  from  general 
statements  to  statements  still  more  general,  al- 
ways, by  the  necessity  of  their  studies,  removing 
further  and  further  God's  free  creative  act.  We 
do  not  complain  of  this,  still  less  do  we  approve 
of  the  charge  of  Atheism  or  of  Pantheism 
brought  against  this  mental  tendency  to  substi- 
tute a  more  comprehensive  law  in  place  of  the 
original  creative  act.  If  it  could  be  shown  that 
all  the  multitudinous  varieties  of  minerals,  vege- 
tables, and  animals  in  the  world  are  but  develop- 
ments, by  the  operation  of  constant  laws,  out  of 
an  original  nebula,  this  would  not  be  atheism, 
nor  any  thing  resembling  it.  For  a  law  is  noth- 
ing else  than  regularity  of  action;  and  when  we 
say  that  every  thing  comes  by  law,  we  may 
merely  say  that  every  thing  comes  by  God's  reg- 
ular and  orderly  activity.  God  is  as  necessary 
to  carry  on  his  laws,  as  to  originate  them  ;  and 
there  is  as  much  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness 
shown  in  developing  a  universe  by  a  regular 
process,  out  of  a  nebulous  mass,  as  in  producing 


PHRENOLOGY.  11 

it  by  successive  creative  acts.  We  do  not,  there- 
fore, complain  that  men  of  science  steadily 
search  after  law,  and  behind  the  broadest  law 
look  for  another  still  more  general.  We  do  not 
regret,  but  rejoice  in,  the  tendency  to  see  more 
and  more  of  God  as  he  manifests  himself  in  the 
order  of  the  universe.  We  merely  say,  "  This 
ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other 
undone."  We  merely  insist  that  this  tendency 
becomes  in  practice  an  exclusive  tendency  ;  and 
that  the  attraction  toward  the  idea  of  God  as 
Law  becomes  an  intellectual  aversion  from  the 
idea  of  God  as  Freedom.  Hence,  among  men 
of  science  everywhere,  the  tendency  always  is 
to  a  reluctance  of  belief  in  the  supernatural  and 
miraculous  part  of  religion  ;  that  is,  to  God 
acting  as  Freedom,  whether  in  creation,  in  provi- 
dence, in  historical  Christianity,  or  in  religious 
experience.  Secondly,  next  to  men  of  science 
who  are  students  of  law  in  the  material  uni- 
verse, come  those  who  study  the  natural  laws  of 
man,  among  whom  the  Phrenologists  hold  at 
the  present  time  an  influential  and  important 
place.  Phrenology,  opposed  alternately  by  ridi- 
cule and  argument,  has,  in  spite  of  both,  made 
steady  progress,  and  may  almost  be  considered 
an  established  science.     No  candid  man,  even 


12        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

among  those  who  disbelieve  it,  but  may  see  rea- 
son to  believe  that  it  has  done  great  good.  It  has 
caLed  the  attention  of  thousands  to  self-study  and 
self-knowledge.  It  has  shown  them  their  weak- 
ness and  their  strength,  —  their  peculiar  tempta- 
tions and  their  special  capabilities.  It  has  direct- 
ed attention  to  the  care  of  health,  to  mental  dis- 
cipline, to  wise  self-government,  and  especially  to 
the  immense  results  of  education.  Meantime, 
however,  its  tendency  has  been  to  teach  human 
prudence  rather  than  divine  providence.  All 
special  providence  it  questions  or  denies  ;  and  a 
direct  answer  to  prayer,  to  an  earnest  phrenolo- 
gist, seems  very  often  an  absurdity.  This  is  ow- 
ing to  the  same  cause  as  in  the  former  case,  the 
one-sidedness  and  exclusiveness  belonging  to  the 
fixed  contemplation  of  a  single  subject.  There 
is  nothing  in  Phrenology  inconsistent  with  a  full 
behef  in  Divine  interposition,  in  a  full  belief  of 
creation,  miracles,  providence,  and  the  power  of 
prayer.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact,  in  the  present 
stage  of  this  study,  it  operates  like  the  study  of 
science  ;  and,  recognizing  the  God  of  Law,  it  ig- 
nores the  God  of  Freedom.  Thirdly,  the  Moral- 
ists and  Rationalists  are  led  to  depreciate  the 
free  influence  of  God  in  answering  prayer :  the 
former,  by  the  stress  they  lay  on  human  freedom  ; 


SPIRITUALISM.  13 

the  latter,  by  the  fact  that  every  free  act,  whether 
of  God  or  man,  is,  from  the  natm'e  of  the  case, 
insusceptible  of  explanation.  Human  freedom  is 
a  matter  of  consciousness,  and  therefore  is  not 
often  denied  by  the  Rationalist  on  account  of  its 
essentially  unintelligible  nature.  But  Divine  free- 
dom, of  which  we  are  not  conscious,  which  is  a 
matter  of  deduction,  and  not  of  intuition,  is  often 
virtually  relinquished  by  the  Rationalist  for  this 
reason,  as  we  shall  see  more  fully  hereafter. 
The  Moralist,  on  the  other  hand,  believing  very 
fully  in  human  freedom,  fears  lest  its  sphere 
should  be  too  much  limited  if  the  Deity  be  re- 
garded as  exercising  direct  influence  on  the  soul, 
or  as  giving  except  in  accordance  with  well- 
ascertained  laws.  Fourthly,  the  Spiritualist 
finds  it  also  difficult  to  believe  in  a  direct  answer 
to  prayer,  because,  while  spiritualizing  all  of 
nature,  and  filling  the  world  full  of  God,  the  ten- 
dency of  his  mind  is  to  regard  God  as  a  Nature 
rather  than  as  a  Person.  In  all  of  these  classes 
of  thinkers,  there  is  a  tendency  to  deny  any  real, 
personal  intercourse  between  the  soul  and  God, 
and  consequently  to  cease  from  the  prayer  of 
faith.  Cultivating  that  side  of  the  religious  life 
which  consists  in  active  conformity  with  the  Di- 
vine law,  or  passive  acquiescence  in  it,  they  lose 

2 


14       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

that  side  which  consists  in  active  dependence  on 
the  Divine  grace,  —  that  is,  on  God's  free  love. 

§  5.  Two  Theories  concerning  Prayer  which 
loeaken  its  Spirit ;  —  First,  that  we  ought  7iot 
to  pray  for  Temporal  Things;  Second,  that  the 
only  Answer  to  Prayer  is  its  own  Reaction. 

The  cases  in  which  these  intellectual  tenden- 
cies lead  to  a  denial  of  a  direct  answer  to  Prayer 
are  few  compared  with  those  in  which  they  dis- 
qualify for  believing  in  it.  Our  minds  are  so 
pervaded,  so  saturated,  with  the  thoughts  of  our 
age  and  community,  that  they  affect  us  uncon- 
sciously and  involuntarily.  Where  they  do  not 
produce  distinct  convictions,  they  produce  a  ten- 
dency to  believe  or  to  disbelieve  quite  out  of  our 
power  to  control.  Multitudes,  therefore,  who 
theoretically  believe  in  Prayer,  find  it  very  hard 
to  pray ;  the  reason  being,  that  their  minds  are 
filled  with  views  and  opinions  practically  incon- 
sistent with  all  faith  in  any  answer  to  Prayer. 
Thus,  they  find  themselves  in  that  uncomfortable 
state  of  mind  in  which  their  theoretical  belief 
indicates  one  course  of  conduct,  while  their  prac- 
tical belief  leads  to  another.  Such  a  state  of 
things  is  too  uncomfortable  to  be  borne  long ;  for 
the   mind  of  man  is  very  logical,  and  always 


TY/0    THEORIES    OF    PRAYEK.  15 

Struggles  for  consistency.  Finding  it,  therefore, 
hard  to  reconcile  our  conduct  with  our  theories, 
we  are  apt,  sooner  or  later,  to  modify  our  theo- 
ries to  suit  our  conduct.  The  result  in  the  case 
before  us  has  be  3n  the  production  of  two  theories 
concerning  Prayor  ;  the  first  of  which  declares 
that  the  object  of  Prayer  should  be  only  inward 
and  spiritual  blessings ;  and  the  other,  that  the 
only  advantage  of  Prayer  consists  in  its  reaction 
on  the  soul  to  produce  Christian  states  of  mind. 
These  theories  we  shall  consider  more  fully  here- 
after. At  present,  we  will  merely  remark,  that 
the  first  tends  to  prevent  Prayer  by  greatly  limit- 
ing its  sphere,  and  the  second,  by  limiting  its 
motive.  Placed  as  we  are,  by  the  necessity  of 
our  earthly  life,  in  the  midst  of  earthly  interests, 
a  large  part  of  our  wishes,  hopes,  and  efforts 
necessarily  refer  to  these.  If  these  washes  and 
hopes  are  not  to  be  brought  before  God  in  Pray- 
er, a  large  part  of  our  life  is  at  once  excluded 
from  its  domain.  In  the  best  of  men  nine  tenths 
of  his  waking  hours  are  occupied  with  thoughts 
and  hopes  bearing  on  earthly  objects.  If  these 
may  be  brought  before  God,  then  are  they  sanc- 
tified and  purified  in  the  azt  of  Prayer.  But  if 
not,  and  he  must  only  asrC  for  spiritual  things, 
then  all  this  part  of  his  true  life  is  divorced  from 


16        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAl'^ER. 

God.  Thus  the  sphere  of  Prayer  is  very  much 
limited  by  the  first  theory.  And  if,  according  to 
the  second,  one  can  only  pray  for  the  sake  of 
tlie  reaction  from  his  own  prayer,  and  not  in  the 
expectation  of  positive  help  from  God,  we  see  at 
once  how  much  of  the  motive  to  pray  is  sub- 
tracted. And  as  this  method  of  self-improve- 
ment is  a  very  awkward  and  unnatural  one,  and 
involves  a  certain  insincerity,  it  must  often  hap- 
pen that  one  shall  renounce  this  method  of  mag- 
netizing himself  by  Prayer,  and  adopt  the  more 
natural  one  of  meditation  and  self-communion. 
We  cannot  wonder,  therefore,  if,  where  these 
theories  prevail,  the  amount  of  Prayer  should 
grow  smaller  and  smaller  continually,  till  it 
reaches  its  minimum.  A  sense  of  duty  or  pro- 
priety, or  the  instinctive  sentiment  of  reverence, 
or  the  power  of  habit  and  association,  may  in- 
duce many  to  continue  the  custom  of  daily  pray- 
er ;  but  its  spring  and  motive  force  will  be  gone. 

§  6.  But  the  Sight  of  Divine  Law  may  he  united 
with  that  of  Divine  Love,  as  it  was  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

If,  then,  the  tendency  of  our  age  is  to  contem- 
plate the  Deity  rather  in  the  regularity  of  his  laws 
-fhan  in  the  free  movement  of  his  love,  what  re- 


UNION    OF    LAW    Al-JD    LOVE.  17 

mains  for  us  to  do  ?  Shall  we  resist  this  tenden- 
cy, and,  to  secure  the  advantages  which  come 
from  prayer,  renounce  the  light  of  our  own  time 
and  culture,  and  turn  backward  to  the  ideas  of 
the  past  ?  Not  this  ;  for  this  is  to  war  against 
the  providence  of  God,  and  to  renounce  those 
blessings  which  he  intends  the  world  to  reap  from 
the  study  of  his  thoughts,  as  they  are  unfolded  in 
the  vast  order  of  the  universe.  Shall  we  then 
submit  to  this  tendency  without  a  struggle,  and 
consider  it  necessary  that,  in  order  to  meet  God 
without,  we  must  renounce  his  society  within  ? 
Not  so  ;  for  all  human  progress  consists  in  carry- 
ing on  with  us  in  every  new  advance  the  whole 
acquisition  of  the  past.  Whenever  we  drop  any 
thing  by  the  way,  we  must,  sooner  or  later,  stop 
and  return  to  recover  it.  It  only  remains,  then, 
to  gain  that  higher  platform  where  Science  and 
Faith  may  be  united,  and  the  knowledge  of  Di- 
vine Law  harmonized  with  convictions  of  the  Di- 
vine Love.  It  is  not  necessary  that  these  should 
be  separated.  They  have  been  from  the  first 
united  in  individuals  ;  and  the  tendency  of  all 
Christian  progress  is  a  prophecy  that  they  shall 
be  hereafter  united  in  communities,  in  churches, 
and,  at  last,  in  universal  Christian  experience. 
The  grandeur  of  Christ's  character  consists  in  its 

2* 


18        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

being  the  highest  harmony  of  all  antagonist  ele- 
ments ever  attained  by  man  ;  that  is,  that  in  him 
dwelt  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  In  him 
this  fulness  was  entire,  making  a  perfect  harmo- 
ny,—  a  harmony  which,  from  its  very  perfection, 
prevents  our  recognizing  the  distinct  tones  of 
which  it  is  composed.  Less  perfect  characters, 
whom  we  yet  admire  for  the  fulness  and  royal 
balance  of  tlieir  virtues,  show  their  greatness  by 
passing  from  one  virtue  into  its  opposite.  One 
act  of  life  shows  courage  ;  another,  prudence. 
One  utterance  expresses  their  deep  sense  of  the 
value  of  truth  ;  another,  the  largeness  of  their 
human  sympathy.  From  moods  of  noble  pride 
they  pass  into  states  of  tender  humility.  They 
give  one  hour  to  devout  worship  of  God  ;  the 
next,  to  earnest  labor  for  the  good  of  man.  Thus 
we  see  in  the  alternations  of  their  life  faith 
matched  with  works,  zeal  with  charity,  piety  with 
humanity,  moods  of  contemplation  with  hours  of 
action  ;  and  we  feel  that  in  this  large  experience 
they  have  developed  their  whole  nature,  and  done 
justice  to  all  sides  of  life.  But  the  peculiarity  of 
Jesus  was,  that  he  carried  this  fulness  into  every 
act.  His  zeal  was  wisdom  ;  his  truth,  love  ;  his 
self-respect,  humility  ;  his  courage,  caution  ;  his 
piety,  humanity ;  and  therefore  it  is  more  diffi- 


JESUS.  19 

cult  to  distinguish  these  different  traits  than  in  a 
nature  less  truly  harmonious.  So  we  can  distin- 
guish the  separate  colors  only  in  the  sunbeam 
broken  in  the  spectrum,  and  not  in  the  white,  un- 
divided solar  ray.  Yet  one  may  notice  in  Jesus 
that  he  always  saw  in  God  both  Law  and  Love. 
His  teaching,  indeed,  nowhere  assumes  the  form 
of  science  ;  and  it  was  no  part  of  his  purpose  tc 
announce  the  laws  of  the  physical  universe.  Bu 
in  his  whole  teaching,  if  we  regard  it  closely,  we 
shall  find  him  making  a  statement  of  the  spirit- 
ual and  moral  laws  of  human  nature,  human  life, 
and  human  destiny.  It  has  been  usual  to  regard 
many  passages  of  this  sort  as  promises,  or  threat- 
enings.  But  they  are,  in  fact,  simple  statements 
of  the  everlasting  laws  of  God's  moral  universe, 
laws  which  are  rooted  in  the  very  nature  of  God 
himself.  Thus,  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
what  are  the  Beatitudes  but  statements  of  these 
Divine  laws.  When  he  says,  "  Blessed  are  the 
poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en," —  "  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  in- 
herit the  earth,"  —  "  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for 
they  shall  obtain  mercy,"  — "  Blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God,"  —  he  is  not 
promising  blessings  with  which  he  intends  to  re- 
ward his  followers,  but  rather  announcing  facts 


20        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

which  are  eternally  true.  So  again,  when  he 
says,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you,"  he  states  a  law,  the  working  of  which 
we  may  see  every  day  in  the  lives  of  those  who, 
because  they  devote  themselves  altogether  to  the 
good  of  others,  find  multitudes  in  return  ready  to 
take  care  of  them,  and  of  their  necessities.  So 
when  he  says,  "  He  that  humbles  himself  shall 
be  exalted,"  —  "  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose 
it,  and  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find 
it,"  —  "  Whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given," 

—  "Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you,"  — 
"  Nothing  is  secret  that  shall  not  be  manifest," — 
"  There  is  nothing  covered  that  shall  not  be  re- 
vealed," —  "  Many  are  called,  but  few  chosen," 

—  "  He  that  is  faithful  in  the  least,  is  faithful  in 
much,"  —  "No  man  can  serve  two  masters,"  — 
'  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life,"  — 

and  the  like,  —  he  is  stating,  not  special,  partial,  or 
temporary  facts,  but  everlasting  laws,  of  universal 
application.  These  depend,  not  on  the  will  of 
Christ,  nor  even  on  the  will  of  God,  but  belong 
to  God's  most  essential  nature.  Thus  we  see  that 
Jesus  recognized  fully,  and  revealed  plainly,  God 
as  Law  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  his  spe 
cial  work  to  see   and   manifest  God  as  a  fri 


JESUS. 


21 


movement  of  Love.  Never  were  the  laws  of 
God's  holy  nature  revealed  in  the  same  degree  as 
they  were  by  Jesus  ;  but  his  revelation  of  the  Di- 
vine grace  was  one  not  only  new  in  its  degree, 
but  peculiar  in  its  kind.  Jesus  saw  in  God,  not 
only  perfect  law,  but  perfect  freedom, — Freedom, 
not  acting  against  Law,  not  suspending  or  nulli- 
fying Law,  but  manifesting  itself  in  a  coordinate 
series  of  events  and  Divine  acts,  which,  because 
they  originate  thus,  are  strictly  miraculous  or  su- 
pernatural. Of  these  Divine  acts  of  freedom,  the 
coming  of  Jesus  himself  was  the  chief;  for  Jesus 
was  not  a  result  of  human  development,  but  the 
coming  of  a  new  life  from  above  into  the  race. 
Humanity  did  not  develop  itself  into  Jesus,  but 
the  love  of  God  came  into  the  world  to  meet 
man's  needs  in  the  hour  of  his  birth.  All  other 
miracles  of  the  New  Testament  are  secondary  to 
this.  They  are  the  natural  consequences  of  this 
Gupernatural  event ;  and  because  Jesus  himself 
fully  recognized  this  fact,  he  stood  always  in  that 
filial  relation  to  the  Deity  which  made  him  the 
Son  of  God.  Because  this  conviction  expressed 
itself  continually  in  his  life  and  words,  he  has 
brought  others  to  God  as  a  Father.  He  has  thus 
made  it  possible  for  us  to  pray  both  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  ;  and  it  is  thus  that,  when  we  have  seen 
him,  we  have  seen  the  Father. 


22        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

^"  7.  To  contrihute  toward  this  Reconciliation  of 
faith  in  Order  with  faith  in  Love^  is  the  Ob- 
ject of  this  Essay. 

Since,  therefore,  we  find  in  Jesus  a  perfect 
union  of  faith  in  God  as  Law,  and  faith  in  God  as 
Love,  and  since  it  is  the  destiny  of  his  Church, 
sooner  or  later,  to  "  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith 
and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  unto  a 
perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fulness  of  Christ,"  and  in  "  all  things  to  grow 
up  into  him  which  is  the  head,"  we  must  antici- 
pate that  "  the  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when 
the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in 
spirit  and  in  truth."  The  time  must  come  in 
which  we  shall  worship  God  both  as  Law  and  as 
Love,  in  which  we  shall  combine,  with  full  con- 
viction of  the  universal  order  of  things,  a  sense 
of  the  personal  nearness  of  the  Father  to  hear  and 
answer  our  prayers.  Science  and  Faith  shall 
then  walk  hand  in  hand,  and  the  result  of  this  will 
be  a  deeper  strain  of  piety  and  a  higher  power  of 
prayer  than  any  yet  known.  For  when  all  these 
antagonisms  shall  have  been  reconciled,  no  secret 
doubt  will  weaken  the  energy  of  supplication  ;  no 
dread  of  superstition  chill  the  feiTor  of  filial  love. 
Prayer,  made  calm  by  the  conviction  of  its  har- 


OBJECT    OF    THIS    TREATISE.  23 

mony  with  Law,  will  flow  through  the  Christian's 
life  as  a  majestic  stream,  without  haste  and  with- 
out check.  We  see  in  Jesus  what  calmness  and 
equanimity  his  piety  derived  from  this  full  har- 
mony of  conviction  ;  and  so  will  it  also  be  with 
his  Church.  The  most  feiTcnt  prayers  of  rapt 
saints  and  solitary  anchorites  will  be  weak  and 
faltering  when  compared  with  the  unceasing  sac- 
rifice of  devotion  which  shall  ascend  from  the 
Christian  Church  Universal  when  it  shall  celebrate 
the  nuptials  of  Science  and  Faith. 

It  is  the  object  of  this  treatise  to  do  something 
to  hasten  this  great  consummation.  By  a  new 
investigation  of  the  subject,  by  a  faithful  exami- 
nation of  the  facts,  and  a  distinct  statement  of  the 
question,  by  fairly  seeing  the  objections  and  fully 
admitting  the  difficulties,  we  may  at  least  hope  to 
take  the  first  step  in  the  right  direction.  For  the 
law  of  intellectual  progress  demands  that  the  op- 
position of  antagonist  truths  shall  be  fully  devel- 
oped, that  contradictions  must  be  fully  stated, 
and  eyery  diversity  and  variety  brought  distinctly 
out,  before  there  can  be  a  final  reconciliation.  In 
this  Essay,  therefoi*e,  I  propose  to  examine  first 
the  doctrine  of  Jesus  and  of  his  Apostles  concern- 
ing Prayer.     Next,  to  consider  the  examples  of 


24   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

Prayer  in  the  New  Testament.  Afterwards,  to 
investigate  the  difficulties,  metaphysical  and  sci- 
entific, and  the  conflict  between  the  needs  of  the 
intellect  and  the  needs  of  the  soul.  Finally,  we 
may  consider  the  methods  of  Prayer,  its  helps 
and  conditions,  its  results  and  advantages.  The 
work  is  a  great  one,  and  needs,  as  Socrates  said, 
a  Delian  diver.  If  it  be  the  Divine  will,  we  shall 
reach  the  bottom  and  bring  up  pearls  ;  but  if  not, 
and  the  time  is  not  ripe,  or  the  instrument  not 
worthy  of  this  success,  even  a  present  failure 
may  be  made  the  means  of  a  better  result  here- 
after. 


25 


CHAPTER    II. 

DOCTRINE     OF     JESUS     AND     THE     APOSTLES     CON- 
CERNING   PRAYER. 

§  8.     "  Pray  in  Secret:' 

Matt.  vi.  5,  6.  "  And  when  thou  prayest,  thou 
shalt  not  be  as  the  hypocrites  are ;  for  they  love 
to  pray  standing  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the 
corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of 
men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  have  their 
reward. 

"  But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy 
closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to 
thy  Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly." 

This  passage  is  the  first  of  importance  in  the 
New  Testament  in  which  Jesus  gives  instruction 
concerning  Prayer.  The  substance  of  it  is, 
"  Pray  m  secret."  But  we  must  ask,  first,  Vv  hat 
is  meant  by  this  command  ?  and  second.  Why  is 
it   given  .=•    considering   first   the    meaning,  and 


26        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

secondly  the  reason,  of  the  passage.  Does  it 
mean,  then,  as  the  language  by  itself  would  cer- 
tainly imply,  that  we  are  always  to  pray  in  se- 
cret, always  in  the  closet,  and  consequently  that 
all  public  prayer  and  public  worship  is  unchris- 
tian and  wrong  ?  That  this  is  not  meant  by  Je- 
sus appears  evidently  from  the  fact  that  he  him- 
self prayed  sometimes  alone  (Luke  vi.  12,  13), 
sometimes  in  the  presence  of  his  three  most  inti- 
mate disciples  (Matt.  xxvi.  37,  39),  sometimes  in 
the  presence  of  the  Twelve  (John  xvii.  1-26), 
and  sometimes,  also,  in  the  presence  of  the  Jews 
(John  xi.  41,  42;  xii.  27,28).  Moreover,  the 
Apostles,  after  his  death,  were  in  the  habit  of 
praying  together  in  the  Church  (Acts  ii.  42; 
i.  14 ;  xii.  5,  12),  and  went  to  pray  in  the  Tem- 
ple at  the  hour  of  prayer  (Acts  iii.  9),  and  to  the 
synagogues  (Acts  xvi.  16),  no  less  than  alone 
(Acts  X.  9).  Beside  this,  Jesus  seems  to  promise 
a  special  blessing  upon  united  prayer  (Matt,  xviii. 
19,  20).  These  passages  show  that  in  this  place, 
as  in  so  many  others,  the  literal  meaning  is  not 
the  true  meaning,  and  that  the  letter  must  be 
modified  according  to  the  spirit,  the  context,  oth- 
er passages,  and  the  great  current  of  Christian 
doctrine.  The  passage,  therefore,  may  mean, 
first,  that  it  is  wise  and  well  often  to  pray  alone 


PRAYER    IN    SECRET.  27 

as  a  test  of  our  own  sincerity  and  simplicity,  in 
order  to  shut  off  outward,  distracting  influences, 
and  to  escape  all  thought  of  the  opinions  of  oth- 
ers. Secret  prayer  is  thus  the  best  test  of  sin- 
cerity, of  the  reality  of  our  faith,  and  the  purity 
of  our  motive.  He  who  can  pray  earnestly  and 
happily  alone  may  at  least  be  sure  of  this,  that 
his  motive  is  not  to  be  seen  of  men,  that  he  does 
not  pray  because  others  expect  it  of  him,  or  con- 
sider it  his  duty,  or  will  think  better  of  him  be- 
cause of  it.  But  he  who  prays  only  in  public, 
and  never  in  private,  has  reason  to  think  that  his 
motives  are  wholly  drawn  from  regard  to  the 
opinions  of  others.  And,  secondly,  the  precept 
may  mean,  that,  when  we  pray  in  the  presence 
of  others,  we  should  not  pray  in  order  to  be  seen 
of  them,  but  should  even  then  go  into  the  secret 
closet  and  inmost  sanctuary  of  the  soul,  and  be 
alone  with  God. 

The  reason  and  importance  of  this  command 
thus  understood  are  obvious.  So  closely  are  we 
bound  together,  so  much  are  we  influenced  by 
the  opinions  of  those  around  us,  so  great  a  part 
of  the  motive  force  of  life  is  derived  from  this 
source,  that  there  is  constant  danger  of  its  ab- 
sorbing all  other  motives  into  itself.  We  can 
only   escape    this    immense    pressure    by   going 


28        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

apart  sometimes  and  standing  alone  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  If  regard  to  human  opinion  taints 
even  the  solitudes  of  prayer,  the  salt  has  lost  its 
savor ;  and  the  last  fortress  in  the  soul  has  been 
occupied  by  the  Prince  of  this  world.  We  see 
m  the  history  of  the  Church  how,  notwithstanding 
Christ's  command,  public  prayer  has  encroached 
upon  secret  prayer.  Prayer  in  church  has  taken 
the  place  of  prayer  at  home  ;  prayer  command- 
ed by  the  priest,  and  reported  to  him  again,  has 
been  substituted  for  the  hidden  intercourse  with 
God.  We  see  how  prayer  has  been  made  a 
source  of  gratifying  human  vanity  ;  how  proud 
men  have  been  of  their  gifts  in  prayer  ;  how 
they  have  been  praised  for  being  powerful  in 
prayer,  eloquent  in  prayer,  for  making  fervent 
and  beautiful  prayers,  and  the  like-  Again,  we 
see  prayer  made  a  means  of  rebuking  error,  or 
of  exhorting  to  piety  ;  a  weapon  of  attack,  or  a 
sermon.  Men  have  prayed  against  heresies  or 
errors,  supposed  to  be  held  by  those  present ; 
prayed  for  the  conversion,  or  even  for  the  dam- 
nation, of  their  opponents ;  and  all  this  in  order 
to  influence  the  by-standers.  These  things  show 
what  a  tendency  there  is  to  address  the  prayer  to 
the  congregation  rather  than  to  God,  and  how 
necessary  still  is  ihis  precept  at  the  present  day. 


VAIN    REPETITIONS.  29 

The  reasons  for  public  and  social  prayer  we  shall 
consider  in  another  place  ;  but  in  closing  our  re- 
marks on  this  passage,  let  us  say  that  the  pro- 
portion of  prayer  should  be,,  that  the  least  amount 
of  it  should  be  in  public  in  mixed  congregations, 
a  larger  amount  in  social  Christian  prayer  among 
those  who  can  all  agree  together  and  truly  sym- 
pathize as  to  the  object,  and  that  the  largest  por- 
tion of  a  Christian's  prayers  should  be  alone. 
For  public  prayer  must  be  expressed  in  general 
terms  which  are  brief,  and  for  those  iew  general 
objects  in  which  all  can  agree.  Social  Christian 
prayer  can  enter  into  a  greater  variety  of  par- 
ticulars, and  therefore  be  more  full,  since  Chris- 
tian brethren  have  at  heart  the  same  objects.  But 
in  secret  prayer,  every  part  of  individual  life  and 
individual  thought  may  be  brought  before  God  ; 
for  to  him  nothing  is  common  or  unclean :  and 
thus,  whether  in  thankfulness,  contrition,  suppli- 
cation, or  intercession ;  whether  at  stated  hours 
or  during  all  the  moments  of  life  ,  whether  when 
alone  or  engaged  in  affairs ;  whether  uttered  or 
unexpressed  ;  the  sincere  desire  of  the  sou.  may 
continually  ascend  in  secret  to  God. 

§  9.    "  Use  no  vain  Repetitions ^ 
Matt.  vi.  7,  8.    "  But  when  ye  pray,  use  not 


30       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen  do  ;  for  they  think 
that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking. 
"  Be  not  ye  therefore  like  unto  them  ;  for  your 
Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have  need  of,  be- 
fore ye  ask  him." 

The  vain  repetitions  referred  to  here  as  usual 
among  the  heathen,  consisted  partly  in  saying 
the  same  thing  over  and  over  again,  and  partly 
in  unsuitable,  minute,  and  protracted  narrations 
addressed  to  God.  Thus  (1  Kings  xviii.  26),  the 
priests  of  Baal  called  on  the  name  of  Baal  "  even 
until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal,  hear  us."  Thus 
(Acts  xix.  34)  the  Ephesians  cried  out  for  two 
hours,  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians."  The 
Latin  dramatist  Terence  makes  one  of  his  char- 
acters say,  "  O  wife,  cease  at  last  deafening  the 
Gods  with  your  prayers.  You  seem  to  think 
them  like  yourself,  able  to  understand  nothing 
unless  it  is  said  a  hundred  times  over."  So, 
likewise,  the  Boodhists  use  a  rosary  with  beads, 
by  which  to  mark  the  number  of  times  they  have 
repeated  their  prayers.  In  the  Zendavesta,  or 
liturgic  books  of  the  ancient  Persians,  the  pe- 
titions to  Ormuzd,  to  the  Amschaspands,  to  the 
sacred  Hom,  &c.,  are  multiplied  and  repeated 
without  end.     In  the  use  of  the  Roman  Catholics 


BREVITY    IN    PRAYER.  31 

rosary,  the  Paternoster  is  repeated  fifteen  times 
and  the  Ave  Maria  one  hundred  and  fifty.  If 
we  ask,  then,  Does  Jesus  mean  to  teach  that 
there  shall  be  no  repetition  in  prayer,  we  are 
immediately  reminded  that  he  himself  repeated 
the  same  prayer  three  times  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane.  Moreover,  he  himself  commands 
repetition  in  two  parables  (Luke  xi.  5-8,  xviii. 
1-7),  and,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter,  persever- 
ing prayer  is  wholly  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.  This 
command,  therefore,  does  not  forbid  us  to  make 
the  same  request  again  and  again.  It  does  not 
forbid  repetition  either  of  the  thoughts  or  the 
words.  But  it  forbids  two  things :  first,  vain  or 
empty  repetitions,  in  which  the  form  alone  re- 
mains, without  the  heart  or  the  thought  being 
in  it ;  —  and  secondly,  it  forbids  repetition  as  an 
opus  operatum ;  that  is,  as  something  advanta- 
geous from  the  mere  outward  act,  without  respect 
to  its  inward  life.  Other  things  being  equal,  it 
also  recommends,  by  implication,  brevity  in  pray- 
er (according  to  Ecclesiastes  v.  2) :  "  God  is  in 
heaven,  and  thou  on  earth  ;  therefore  let  thy 
words  be  few ;  for  a  fool's  voice  is  known  by 
multitude  of  words."  Martin  Luther  says,  "  Few 
words  and  much  meaning  is  Christian  ;  many 
words  and  little  meaning  is  heathenish.''     And 


82        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

110  doubt,  in  proportion  as  a  prayer  is  sincere, 
spiritual,  and  earnest,  it  is  brief,  direct,  and  com- 
pact with  meaning.  In  proportion  as  the  thoughts 
are  wandering,  and  the  desire  faint,  words  are 
multiplied,  and  the  same  thing  repeated  over  ana 
over  in  a  new  form. 

We  shall  see  the  importance  of  this  command 
by  considering  what  a  tendency  there  is  to  sub- 
stitute words  for  thoughts  in  addressing  God. 
One  of  the  hardest  things  for  man  is  mental 
concentration  ;  one  of  the  easiest,  repetition  of 
a  familiar,  customary  act.  It  is  Coleridge,  we 
think,  who  somewhere  speaks  of  prayer  as  the 
highest  intellectual  effoi-t  of  which  man  is  capable. 
This,  it  is  true,  is  but  one  view  of  the  subject ; 
for  prayer  is  essentially  spontaneous  and  free, 
and  so  it  is  just  as  true  to  speak  of  it  as  the  easi- 
est, as  to  call  it  the  most  difficult  of  intellectual 
exercises.  When  we  speak  of  it  as  difficult,  we 
refer  to  the  preparation  for  prayer  rather  than  to 
prayer  itself.  The  difficulty  and  the  effiDrt  con- 
sist in  that  concentration  of  the  mind  which  re- 
moves it  from  outward  objects,  from  things  seen 
and  temporal,  and  fixes  it  inwardly  on  the  living 
God,  unseen  and  eternal.  This  being  done,  and 
the  soul  laid  open  before  God,  prayer  flows  forth 
a  spontaneous  stream.    Thus  it  is  a  work  of  labor 


PRAYER    OF    FORM.  33 

to  cut  a  channel,  or  outlet,  for  the  waters  of  a 
lake  ;  but  when  the  channel  has  been  prepared, 
the  work  is  done,  and  the  waters  pour  forth  by  a 
spontaneous  motion. 

But  this  preparation  of  mind,  implying  an  act 
of  concentration,  of  truthful  introspection  and  of 
trust,  is  always  a  new  effort  of  moral  freedom  ;  a 
new  movement,  originating  in  the  free-will  of 
man.  This  is  so  much  more  difficult  than  any 
act  of  routine,  that  there  is  a  constant  tendency, 
growing  out  of  the  inertia  of  human  nature,  to 
substitute  formal  prayer,  or  the  outward  work, 
for  inward  prayer,  which  needs  this  creative  act. 
Hence,  quantity  of  prayer  takes  the  place  of  qual- 
ity ;  regularity  in  the  outward  act,  conformity  to 
the  established  custom,  external  assiduity  in  ritual 
worship,  is  considered,  on  all  hands,  satisfactory. 
Not  that  any  religion  omits  teaching  that  the 
mind  should  be  engaged  in  prayer,  but  by  the 
chief  stress  being  laid  on  the  outward  act,  the  in- 
v/ard  element  of  prayer  is  virtually  passed  by. 
Hence  it  is,  that,  where  there  is  the  greatest 
amount  of  outward  prayer,  there  is  often  the  least 
amount  of  Christian  character.  It  is  because  the 
outward  act  is  substituted  for  the  inward  spirit, 
and  men  are  satisfied  with  the  form  of  religion 
without  its  power. . 


34         THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

The  inward  part  of  prayer,  which  is  its  es- 
sence, belongs,  as  we  have  seen,  to  the  domain 
of  Love  and  Freedom.  The  outward  part  of 
prayer,  which  is  only  a  preparation  for  it,  and  not 
the  thing  itself,  belongs  to  the  domain  of  Effort 
and  Duty.  In  proportion,  therefore,  as  we  incul- 
cate pra)jer  as  a  duty,  instead  of  offering  it  as  a 
privilege  and  Divine  gift,  we  change  the  essential 
nature  of  prayer,  destroy  its  life,  and  substitute 
something  else  in  its  place.  We  have  already 
seen  that  the  Christian  life  consists  of  two  parts, 
by  whose  mutual  alternation  and  reaction  it  is 
maintained,  which  we  have  called  the  sense  of 
responsibility  and  the  sense  of  dependence,  and 
which  are  awakened,  the  one  by  the  sight  of 
Law,  the  other  by  the  sight  of  Love.  Now  it  is 
evident  that,  in  proportion  as  we  inculcate  prayei 
as  a  duty,  we  transfer  it  from  the  domain  of  Love 
to  that  of  Law,  and  thereby  despoil  it  of  its  true 
life  and  value.  Moreover,  we  change  it,  almost 
necessarily,  into  an  opus  ojjeratum ;  for  the  char- 
acter of  all  duty  is  that  it  shall  be  done  at  all 
events  ;  done  well  if  we  can  do  it  well,  but  at  any 
rate  be  done.  It  is  a  duty  to  tell  the  truth  :  it  is 
a  duty  to  be  honest  in  our  business  dealings.  It 
is  desirable  to  do  these  duties  in  a  right  spirit,  but 
we  must  do  them  in  a  bad  spii'it  rather  than  not 


PRAYER    OF    FAITH. 


35 


at  all.  In  the  case  of  duty,  therefore,  the  essen- 
tial thing  is  the  outward  act,  —  the  opus  opera- 
turn.  But  exactly  the  opposite  is  the  case  with 
prayer ;  the  essential  part  of  which  is  the  inward 
spirit  of  it.  It  is  better  not  to  pray  at  all  than  to 
pray  in  a  wrong,  unchristian,  disbelieving,  selfish 
spirit.  We  see,  therefore,  that  if  we  treat  prayer 
as  duty  rather  than  privilege,  as  effort  rather  than 
joy,  as  accountability  rather  than  dependence,  we 
are  in  danger  of  making  of  it  that  opus  operatum 
which  is  forbidden  by  Christ  in  the  text  we  have 
been  considering. 

§10.    Prayer  of  Faith. 

Matt.  xxi.  22.  "  And  all  things  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive." 

Mark  xi.  23,  24.  "And  Jesus  answering 
saith  unto  them.  Have  faith  in  God ;  for  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  that  whosoever  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain.  Be  thou  removed,  and  be  thou  cast  into 
the  sea,  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart,  but  shall 
believe  that  those  things  which  he  saith  shall 
come  to  pass,  he  shall  have  whatsoever  he  saith. 
Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  what  things  soever  ye 
desire  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  shall  receive 
them  and  ye  shall  have  their." 

Mark  ix.  23.  "  Jesus  said  unto  him.  If  thou 


36        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth." 

Matt.  vii.  7.  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be 
opened  unto  you :  for  every  one  that  asketh  re- 
ceiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth ;  and  to  him 
that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened."  (Compare 
Luke  xi.  1-13.) 

In  these  passages,  Christ  commands  and  en- 
courages the  Prayer  of  Faith.  The  promise  is 
wholly  unlimited  and  uncondhional.  Whatever 
we  ask  in  faith,  we  shall  receive.  But  we  have 
seen  that  other  equally  unlimited  statements  must 
necessarily  find  their  conditions  in  other  declara* 
tions  of  Jesus  made  elsewhere.  Taking,  there  • 
fore,  the  unconditional  promise  in  Matt.  vii.  7,  8 
"  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you,  for  every  one 
that  asketh  receiveth," —  we  find  that  it  is  imme- 
diately limited  in  the  eleventh  verse,  that  we 
must  ask  for  "  good  things  "  ;  or,  as  Luke  xi.  13 
explains  it,  for  "  the  Holy  Spirit,"  or  spiritual 
goodness.  But,  again,  the  promise  \S  limited  by 
those  other  passages  which  require  that  it  shall  be 
the  Prayer  of  Faith.  It  is  not  enough  to  ask,  but 
we  must  ask  in  faith.  Again,  it  is  limited  (John 
xiv.  13)  by  the  condition  that  we  shall  ask  "  in 


PR/.YER    OF    FAITH.  37 

the  name  of  Christ "  ;  which  is  also  repeated 
(John  xvi.  23,  24,  26).  Again,  there  seems  an- 
other condition  implied  (1  John  iii.  22),  that  we 
shall  ask  hi  a  spirit  of  obedience :  "  Whatsoever 
we  ask,  we  receive  of  Him,  because  we  keep  his 
commandments,  and  do  those  things  that  are 
pleasing  in  his  sight."  So,  also,  James  (iv.  3)  says, 
''  Ye  ask  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss, 
that  ye  may  consume  it  upon  your  lusts  "  ;  and 
(chap.  V.  16)  he  declares  that  it  is  the  prayer  of 
"  a  righteous  man  "  which  is  energetic  and  avail- 
ing. So,  also  (Matt.  vi.  15  and  Mark  xi.  25),  it 
is  declared  that  our  prayer  for  forgiveness  will  not 
be  heard  except  we  also  forgive  our  enemies. 
Moreover  (Luke  xviii.  1),  he  makes  perseverance 
in  prayer  another  condition  of  its  being  heard 
(compare  verse  7),  and  in  the  same  chapter,  verse 
14,  humility  is  taught  to  be  a  condition  of  forgive- 
ness :  and,  finally  (John  xv.  7),  we  read,  "  If  ye 
abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall 
ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you." 
By  comparing  together  all  these  passages,  we  find 
that  Jesus  earnestly  recommends  prayer  as  the 
means  of  obtaining  blessings  which  v/e  should  not 
otherwise  receive  ;  but  teaches  that,  in  order  that 
the  prayer  shall  be  effectual,  it  must  have  three 
qualities.  First,  it  must  be  true  or  sincere  ;  that 
4 


38        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

is,  we  must  ask  for  what  we  really  wish.  Second, 
It  must  be  in  faith  ;  that  is,  we  must  believe  that 
God  will  be  more  likely  to  give  because  we  ask 
than  otherwise.  Third,  it  must  be  in  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  which  includes  all  the  other  conditions 
above  enumerated.  Now,  we  shall  consider  here- 
after the  meaning  and  necessity  of  these  three 
conditions  of  effectual  prayer.  At  present,  we 
are  only  concerned  with  the  second,  which  is  the 
Prayer  of  Faith  ;  and  with  that  only  so  far  as  to 
learn  what  Jesus  intended  by  it. 

What,  then,  are  we  to  understand  by  the  Pray- 
er of  Faith  ?  We  have  seen  that  it  does  not  mean 
a  belief  that  we  shall  receive,  without  conditions, 
every  thing  for  which  we  ask.  We  can  only  be 
lieve  that  we  shall  receive  what  w^e  ask  when  we 
ask  in  the  spirit  of  Christ ;  that  is,  as  we  think, 
asking  for  every  thing  not  selfishly^  but  so  that  in 
receiving  it  we  may  be  able  to  advance  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  prepare  his  coming.  Even  when 
asking  for  a  private  blessing,  if  we  ask  in  the 
spirit  of  Christ,  it  will  be  that  it  may  be  used  for 
public  ends,  that  it  may,  in  some  manner,  promote 
the  real  interests  of  the  world  and  of  humanity. 
Asking  in  this  spirit,  as  disciples  of  Christ,  what- 
ever be  the  particular  request,  it  will  still  resolve 
itself  into  this,  "  Thy  kingdom  come."     It  will 


TRAYER    OF    FAITH.  39 

be,  necessarily,  a  prayer  of  submission  also,  in- 
cluding in  it  always,  "  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be 
done."  Conscious  of  our  own  ignorance,  and  that 
we  know  not  w^iether  what  we  ask  is  best,  and  is 
really  good  for  us  and  for  others,  this  Christian 
prayer,  like  that  of  Jesus  himself  in  Gethsemane, 
combines  earnestness  and  submission,  and  of 
such  a  prayer  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the 
promise  of  Jesus  will  always  be  fulfilled  :  "  If  ye 
abide  in  me,  and  my  word  abide  in  you,  ye  shall 
ask  what  ye  will.,  and  it  shall  be  done  to  you." 

But  having  thus  stated  the  limited  and  negative 
side  of  the  Prayer  of  Faith,  we  mu^  go  on  to  add 
that,  if  it  is  offered  in  submission,  it  is  also  offered 
in  hope.  He  who  prays,  relying  on  Christ's  prom- 
ise, hopes  to  receive  something  because  he  prays, 
which  he  would  not  otherwise  obtain.  The  essen- 
tial thing  for  which  he  asks,  he  is  sure  to  receive, 
and  that  as  a  consequence  of  his  prayer.  God 
always  bestows  something  really  good,  something 
which  will  advance  the  reign  of  Christ,  in  answer 
to  the  Christian's  prayer.  Eveiy  earnest  request 
offered  to  God,  for  whatever  object,  so  the  request 
be  made  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  is  a  certain  means 
of  advancing  somewhat  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the 
world  and  in  the  soul.  Any  thing  less  than  this 
would  not  exhaust  the  strong  language  of  Jesus. 


40        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

He  plainly  teaches  that  every  Christian  prayer, 
without  exception,  brings  clown  something  from 
heaven,  —  that  we  always  have  something  more 
because  we  ask,  and  in  consequence  of  asking, 
than  we  should  otherwise  receive.  Nothing  less 
than  this  will  satisfy  his  language,  which  teaches 
as  plainly  as  language  can,  that  not  one  prayer  is 
breathed  in  vain  ;  and  this  explanation  is  in  har- 
mony with  every  other  expression  on  the  subject 
in  the  New  Testament,  and  is  not  contradicted 
by  any  other  passage.  We  may  therefore  state 
that  the  Prayer  of  Faith  is  a  prayer  offered  in 
the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  ni  the  full  confidence 
that  by  its  means  something  really  good  will 
be  obtained  which  otherwise  would  not  be  re- 
ceived. 

But  the  full  meaning  of  the  Prayer  of  Faith  is 
not  yet  exhausted.  Every  Christian  prayer  con- 
sists of  two  parts,  —  one  the  temporal  form,  the 
other  the  lasting  substance  ;  one  embodying  our 
present  desire,  necessity,  occasion,  changing  with 
time,  circumstance,  trial,  or  duty,  and  springing 
out  of  the  occasion  of  the  hour,  —  the  other,  the 
one  constant  longing  of  the  soul  for  the  coming 
of  Christ,  in  truth  and  love,  to  overcome  all  false- 
hood and  all  evil.  Let  the  Christian  ask  for  daily 
bread,  for  \iis  own   liealth   in  sickness,  for  the 


PRAYER    OF    FAITH.  41 

health  of  another,  for  success  in  any  enterprise  ; 
he  asks  for  these  that,  these  being  given,  some  new 
power  may  be  added  to  those  influences  which 
shall  for  ever  exalt  good  above  evil.  Now  we 
have  asserted  that  his  prayer  always  succeeds  in 
obtaining  this  inward  and  most  essential  object ; 
but  we  must  add,  that,  if  he  is  to  ask  for  these 
temporal  advantages  at  all,  he  must  ask  with  the 
expectation  that  they  too  may  be  given  in  conse- 
quence of  his  prayer,  that  they  are  more  likely 
to  be  given  in  consequence  of  his  prayer  than 
otherwise.  For  if  not,  then  the  asking  for  them 
would  be  a  mere  form,  destitute  of  truth  and 
reality  ;  and  the  prayer  ought,  instead,  to  be  con- 
fined altogether  to  the  other  object,  and  should 
never  include  any  thing  but  the  request,  "  Thy 
kingdom  come."  But  in  the  New  Testament  we 
have  constant  examples  of  prayers  offered  for 
special  objects  with  the  earnestness  which  shows 
an  expectation  of  obtaining  the  object  by  means 
of  the  prayer.  So  Jesus  prayed  for  power  to 
raise  Lazarus  from  the  dead,  and  obtained  it.  So 
he  prayed  in  Gethsemane  that  the  cup  might  pass, 
and  on  this  occasion  this  part  of  the  prayer  was 
not  granted,  but  only  the  substance,  "  Thy  will 
be  done."  So  he  tells  his  disciples  that  certain 
kinds  of  demoniac  possession  go  not  out  except 
4* 


42        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

by  means  of  prayer  and  fasting.  So,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  blighted  fig-tree,  he  promises  that 
their  prayers,  when  made  in  faith,  shall  be  the 
means  of  their  receiving  what  they  ask.  So  he 
says  that  continued  prayers  may  at  last  obtain 
what  for  a  long  time  may  seem  to  be  refused. 
(Luke  xviii.  1.)  So,  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  we 
read  that  Peter  was  sent  to  Cornelius  in  conse- 
quence of  the  prayers  of  the  latter,  and  that  when 
Peter  was  in  prison  prayer  was  oflered  without 
ceasing  of  the  Church  for  him.  So  Paul  express- 
es the  conviction  of  being  delivered  from  prison 
in  consequence  of  the  prayers  of  his  friends,  and 
requested  them  to  ask  that  special  gifts  of  speech 
might  be  given  to  himx  for  his  work.  And  so 
James  teaches  that  the  sick  shall  be  restored  to 
health  in  consequence  of  Christian  prayers.  And 
finally,  Jesus,  in  the  same  prayer  which  teaches 
us  to  say,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,"  teaches  us  to 
ask  also  for  daily  bread,  —  an  expression  which 
may  well  include  all  temporal  wants  and  desires 
of  our  daily  life. 

Now,  we  repeat  again,  that  to  ask  for  these 
special,  changing  necessities  would  imply  insin- 
cerity, unless  we  expected  to  receive  them  the 
sooner  in  consequence  of  our  prayer.  We  there- 
fore say  that  the  Prayer  of  Faith   must  include 


PERSEVERING    FRAYER.  43 

this  confidence  also.  It  therefore  implies  an  as- 
surance that,  in  consequence  of  our  prayer,  we 
shall  receive  something  really  good  which  we 
otherwise  should  not,  and  that  we  shall  be  more 
likely  to  receive  the  very  thing  for  which  we  ask 
than  if  the  prayer  was  not  offered.  Whether 
this  view  be  philosophical  or  not  is  a  question  to 
be  considered  hereafter,  with  other  objections  and 
difficulties.  We  now  merely  ask  what,  accord- 
ing to  the  teaching  of  Jesus  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  Prayer  of  Faith  must  mean  ;  and  we, 
therefore,  once  more  define  it  thus  :  a  prayer 
offered  in  a  Christian  spirit  for  an  eternal  good 
out  of  a  temporal  need,  and  in  the  confidence 
that  it  will  always  be  the  means  of  obtaining  the 
eternal  good,  and  often  the  means  of  obtaining 
also  the  temporal  need. 

§  11.     Persevering  Prayer. 

Luke  xi.  5-8.  "  And  he  said  unto  them.  Which 
of  you  shall  have  a  friend,  and  shall  go  unto  him 
at  midnight  and  say  unto  him,  Friend,  lend  me 
three  loaves  ;  for  a  friend  of  mine  in  his  journey 
is  come  to  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  set  before 
him.  And  he  from  within  shall  answer,  and  say, 
Trouble  me  not ;  the  door  is  now  shut,  and  my 
children  are  with  me  in  bed.     I  cannot  rise  and 


44        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

give  thee.  I  say  unto  yon,  though  he  will  not 
rise  and  give  him  because  he  is  his  friend,  yet 
because  of  his  importunity  he  will  rise  and  give 
him  as  many  as  he  needeth.  And  I  say  unto 
you.  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"  &c. 

Luke  xviii.  1-8.  "  And  he  spake  a  parable 
unto  them,  to  the  end  that  men  ought  always  to 
pray  and  not  to  faint,  saying.  There  was  in  a  city 
a  judge  which  feared  not  God,  neither  regarded 
man.  And  there  was  a  widow  in  that  city,  and 
she  came  unto  him,  saying.  Avenge  me  of  mine 
adversary.  And  he  would  not  for  awhile,  but 
afterward  he  said  within  himself.  Though  I 
fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man,  yet  because  this 
widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her ;  lest  by 
her  continual  coming  she  weary  me.  And  the 
Lord  said.  Hear  what  the  unjust  judge  saith  ;  and 
shall  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which  cry 
day  and  night  unto  him,  though  he  bear  long  with 
them  ?  I  tell  you  that  he  will  avenge  them 
speedily." 

The  object  of  these  two  parables  is  the  same  ; 
to  inculcate  persevering  prayer.  We  see  in  both 
of  them  an  illustration  of  the  fact,  that  only  a 
part  of  some  of  the  parables  has  a  Christian 
meaning   and    moral  ;   and  that  other  parts  are 


PERSEVERING   PRAYER.  45 

merely  for  the  picturesque  completeness  of  the 
story.  The  similitude  in  this  case  between  the 
spiritual  truth  and  the  facts  of  the  parable  ex- 
tends only  to  the  two  points  of  persevering  en- 
treaty on  the  part  of  the  suppliants,  and  the  final 
success  resulting  after  a  temporary,  apparent  fail- 
ure. The  motives  of  the  indolent  friend  and  of 
the  unjust  judge  make,  of  course,  no  part  of  the 
moral.  The  truth  inculcated  is  simply  this  :  that 
an  earnest  prayer  for  any  thing  which  we  need 
may,  for  a  time,  seem  ineffectual ;  but,  if  con- 
tinued, may  finally  succeed  in  obtaining  the  de- 
sired object.  The  reason  why  the  prayer  is  not 
answered  at  first,  or  why  it  is  at  last  answered,  is 
not  stated.  It  cannot  be  on  account  of  variable- 
ness in  the  Divine  mind,  nor  merely  because  of 
the  importunity  of  the  suppliant,  as  in  the  para- 
ble. But  it  is  easy  to  see  that  there  may  be  rea- 
sons, which  we  cannot  at  present  understand,  on 
account  of  which  that  which  cannot  properly  be 
given  at  first  should  afterwards  be  bestowed,  with- 
out interfering  with  the  Divine  immutableness. 
Perhaps  such  a  trial  of  our  faith  may  be  neces- 
saiy  for  us.  Or  perhaps  there  may  be  some 
profound  difficulty  to  be  overcome,  either  in  our 
own  soul  or  in  outward  relations ;  some  difficulty 
which  can  only  be  gradually  removed  :  and  so. 


46   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

though  the  prayer  may  have  been  effectual  from 
the  first,  its  effects  may  only  gradually  become 
perceptible.  Let  us  suppose,  for  instance,  that 
one  prays  for  spiritual  strength,  for  a  clear  light 
of  duty,  for  composure  of  mind,  patience,  equa- 
nimity in  the  midst  of  trial, — this  prayer  may 
be  answered  from  the  first ;  God  may  immediate- 
ly send  some  holy  influence  into  the  depths  of  the 
soul,  which  shall  immediately  begin  to  produce 
the  desired  change.  But  this  region  in  the  soul 
may  be  below  that  of  clear  consciousness  ;  so 
that  the  change  may  not  be  perceived  by  him 
who  is  the  subject  of  it.  But  if  he  continues  to 
pray,  more  and  more  of  strength  may  be  im- 
parted, until  at  last  the  benign  influence  rises  into 
the  consciousness  and  is  perceived.  If  it  be 
asked,  why  should  not  God  do  this  whole  work  at 
once,  rather  than  thus  gradually,  we  reply,  that 
the  world  of  grace  has  its  laws  and  its  gradations 
no  less  than  the  world  of  nature,  as  Jesus  contin- 
ually indicates  where  he  uses  the  regular  opera- 
tions of  the  natural  world  to  illustrate  those  of 
the  spiritual  world.  "  First  the  blade,  then  the 
ear,  afterward  the  full  corn  in  the  ear." 

The  limitation  to  this  precept  is  found  in  the 
other  which  we  have  already  considered  (Matt, 
vi.  7,  8),  which  forbids  the  use  of  vain  repetitions. 


NAME    OF    CHRIST.  47 

The  perseverance  which  is  recommended  is  not 
a  repetition  of  the  form,  but  constancy  in  the 
substance,  of  prayer.  It  is  to  maintain  the  same 
desire,  thought,  and  purpose  ;  to  continue  pa- 
tiently looking  to  God;  in  a  word,  to  wait  on 
Him.     It  is 

"  Patience,  to  watch  and  wake  and  weep, 
Though  mercy  long  delay,  — 
Courage,  our  fainting  soul  to  keep, 
And  trust  thee,  though  thou  slay." 

§  12.    Prayer  in  the  Name  of  Christ. 

John  xiv.  13.  "Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in 
my  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be 
glorified  in  the  Son." 

14.  "  If  ye  shall  ask  any  thing  in  my  name, 
I  will  do  it." 

XV.  16.  "I  have  ordained  you  that  ye  should 
go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit 
should  remain,  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of 
the  Father  in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you." 

xvi.  23.  "  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  nothing. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it 
you." 

24.  "  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my 
name.  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy 
may  be  full. 


48        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

26.  "  At  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name 
and  I  say  not  unto  you  that  I  will  pray  the  Fa- 
ther for  you,  for  the  Father  himself  loveth  you, 
because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed 
that  I  came  out  from  God." 

XV.  7.  "  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words 
abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it 
shall  be  done  unto  you." 

In  determining  the  meaning  of  these  passages, 
which  inculcate  prayer  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
all  depends  on  the  sense  of  the  Greek  word 
ouofxa,  and  its  corresponding  Hebrew  term.  This 
expression  among  the  Jews  had  a  much  greater 
extent  of  significance  than  with  us.  We  are  ac- 
customed to  regard  the  name  of  a  person,  or  of  a 
thing,  as  wholly  arbitrary  and  a  mere  matter  of 
convenience,  having  no  reference  to  the  charac- 
ter. It  never  occurs  to  us  to  suppose  that  there 
might  be  a  natural  correspondence  between  the 
name  and  the  thinor  named.  But  amonor  the 
Jews,  as  with  other  nations  whose  languages  are 
less  derived  and  complicated  than  ours,  the  no- 
tion had  not  yet  been  lost  of  a  correspondence 
between  the  name  itself  and  the  character  of  the 
person  or  thing  to  which  it  belonged.  Hence 
the    importance    ascribed   to   naming    children. 


NAME    OF    CHRIST.  49 

Hence  the  changing  of  the  names  of  persons,  as 
in  the  case  of  Paul,  Peter,  the  two  sons  of  Zebe- 
dee,  and  others.  Hence  the  significance  of 
Adam's  naming  every  thing  in  Paradise.  It  is 
only  as  we  enter  into  this  feeUng  of  the  Jews  as 
regards  names,  that  we  can  understand  such  pas- 
sages as  these  :  "  Hallowed  be  thy  name,"  —  "  In 
thy  name  we  have  cast  out  devils,"  —  "  To  receive 
one  in  the  name  of  a  prophet,"  —  "  For  my  name's 
sake,"  —  "  He  has  given  him  a  name  above  every 
name,"  —  "  Father,  glorify  thy  name,"  —  "  Keep 
through  thine  own  name  those  thou  hast  given 
me,"  —  and  a  multitude  of  others.  In  some  of 
these  cases,  it  appears  to  mean  authority  ;  in 
others,  power;  in  others,  again,  the  spirit  of  a 
person,  or  his  character.  Perhaps  we  may  say, 
that,  when  applied  to  a  person,  it  signifies  his 
essential  character,  his  special  personality,  and 
his  whole  peculiar  spirit.  This  character  may 
express  itself  sometimes  as  power  or  authority, 
sometimes  as  spirit  or  life.  In  the  case  before 
us,  therefore,  to  pray  in  the  name  of  Christ  is  to 
pray  in  Christ's  essential  spirit.  This  includes, 
1.  reliance  on  his  promises,  2.  interest  in  his 
cause,  3.  possession  of  his  spirit  or  character. 
It  is,  therefore,  strictly  equivalent  to  the  other 
5 


50        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

expression,  "  to  abide  in  him  and  have  his  words 
abide  in  us." 

To  pray  in  the  name  of  Christ  is,  therefore,  a 
very  different  thing  from  the  mere  formal  men- 
tion of  his  name  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  our 
prayer.  It  is  not  to  begin  our  prayer  with  the 
phrase,  "  We  come  to  Thee  in  the  name  of  Je- 
sus," or  to  end  it  with  the  formula,  "  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  "  ;  nor  is  it  to  express  in 
our  prayer  the  intellectual  opinion  that  we  are 
pardoned  or  saved  by  the  merits  of  Christ.  It  is 
not  to  express,  as  a  matter  of  belief,  that  we 
rely  on  his  atonement,  his  intercession,  or  his 
advocacy.  All  this  we  may  do,  and  yet  not  pray 
m  the  name  of  Christ.  For  it  is  very  possible 
that  a  prayer  beginning  and  ending  with  these 
formulas,  and  containing  quite  a  sincere  expres- 
sion of  these  opinions,  may  not  include  in  its 
spirit,  its  aim,  or  its  character  the  mind  of  Jesus. 
Its  motive  may  be  selfish,  its  object  purely  per- 
sonal. And  if  so,  it  has  no  claim  founded  on 
this  promise.  It  is  not  "  the  energetic  prayer  of 
the  righteous  man,"  which  availeth  much. 

The  one  essential  thing  which  is  necessary  to 
make  a  prayer  a  prayer  "  in  the  name  of  Jesus  " 
is,  that  all  its  petitions  should  have  their  termina- 
tion in  this  one,  "  Thy  kingdom  come."     This 


NAME    OF    JESUS.  51 

is  the  sense  given  to  this  prayer  by  the  most  pro- 
found interpreters.  Thus  Schleiermacher  says 
( Christliche  Glaube^  §  147)  :  "  Whether  one  un- 
derstands the  expression  '  to  pray  in  the  name 
of  Jesus '  to  mean,  to  pray  in  his  mind  and 
spirit^  rather  than  to  pray  from  an  interest  in 
his  cause,  —  or  the  reverse,  —  it  is,  nevertheless, 
impossible  to  separate  these  two  meanings.  For 
if  we  wish  to  do  his  work  for  man's  redemption 
in  any  other  spirit  than  his  own,  we  must  neces- 
sarily be  intending  a  different  work  than  his,  and 
then  it  would  be  not  his  work  which  we  bring 
before  God  in  our  prayer.  Therefore,  every 
prayer  is  a  prayer  '  in  the  name  of  Jesus,'  in 
which,  whatever  it  may  be,  one  prays  from  the 
same  position  in  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  God 
which  he  himself  occupied."  So  Tholuck  (Berg- 
predigt),  in  commenting  on  Matt.  vii.  8,  says: 
"  Both  the  subjective  and  objective  conditions  of 
prayer  are  fulfilled  when  it  is  offered  '  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord ' ;  for  he  prays  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  who,  on  the  one  hand,  helieves  and  con- 
fides in  him,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  prays  in 
relation  to  him,  so  that  he  prays  for  that  which 
will  advance  his  kingdom."  * 

*  So  De  Wette  {Exeget.   Handbuch  z.  N.  T.  ad  John 


52        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Such  a  prayer,  proceeding  out  of  faith  in  Christ 
and  his  promises,  and,  wherever  it  may  begin, 
always  terminating  in  the  desire  that  his  kingdom 
may  be  advanced,  is  a  truly  unselfish  and  Chris- 
tian prayer,  and  one  which  always  obtains  that 
which  it  seeks.  When  we  look  at  all  which  Je- 
sus says  concerning  the  unconditional  success  of 
this  prayer,  when  we  notice  in  how  many  ways 
he  urges,  as  an  unquestionable  fact,  that,  if  we 
ask  any  thing  in  his  name,  it  shall  be  done  for 
us,  we  must  be  satisfied  that  he  meant  to  say  dis- 
tinctly, that  God  always  answers  this  prayer  by 
giving  that  for  which  we  ask.  Such  a  prayer 
always  tends  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ,  and 
to  make  his  kingdom  come.  The  two  authors 
before  quoted  both  admit  this  to  be  so.  Thus 
Tholuck  (ad  Matt.  vii.  8) :  "  It  follows  that  we 
may  say,  that  all  the  prayers  of  him  who  prays 
aright  are  heard.  As  regards  spiritual  things, 
the  result  of  every  prayer,  in  proportion  as  it  is 
believing  prayer,  is  to  awaken  the  spiritual  life : 
as  regards  outward  things,  he  who -asks  for  thern 
in  faith  asks  for  them  in  the  name  of  his  Mas- 

xiv.  13)  :  " '  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask '  is  limited,  partly  by 
the  connection,  and  partly  by  the  '  in  my  name '  (i.  e.  in  my 
cause,  or  in  the  sentiment  based  on  faith  in  me  and  my 
confession),  to  labors  for  the  kingdom  of  God." 


NAME    OF    JESUS.  53 

ter ;  and  this  implies  that  his  chief  prayer  is, 
'  Thy  kingdom  come,'  and  that  he  asks  for  earth- 
ly gifts  only  so  far  as  they  are  the  means  of  se- 
curing spiritual  gifts.  Therefore,  if  God  refuses 
the  earthly  object  because  it  would  be  injurious 
to  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  this  very  refusal  is  a 
favorable  answer  to  the  essential  part  of  his  pray- 
er." So  Augustine  (Ep.  34) :  "  God  is  good, 
who,  in  refusing  that  v/hich  we  wish,  gives  us 
that  which  we  wish  more,"  &c. ;  with  which 
compare  the  fine  passage  in  Augustine's  "  Con- 
fessions," where  he  relates  that  his  pious  mother, 
from  fear  of  the  temptations  which  might  beset 
her  son  in  the  metropolis,  prayed  God  to  prevent 
him  from  going.  Yet  he  went,  and  there  became 
a  Christian.  And  therefore  the  excellent  Church 
Father  says  :  "  She  sought  of  Thee,  O  my  God, 
with  so  many  tears,  that  Thou  wouldst  hinder  me 
from  sailing;  but  Thou,  in  thy  deeper  counsel, 
perceiving  the  hinge  of  her  desire,  didst  refuse 
that  transient  prayer,  in  order  to  grant  her  lasting 
.and  permanent  one."  So  likewise  Schleierma- 
cher,  denying  what  he  calls  ihe  magical  view  of 
the  answer  to  prayer, nevertheless  says:  "  Though 
we  deny  that  what  is  given  in  answer  to  prayer 
implies  a  change  in  the  original  will  of  God 
which  the  prayer  effects,  yet  just  as  little  do  we 


54        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

maintain  that  it  would  have  been  given  without 
the  prayer.  For  there  is  a  connection  between 
the  prayer  and  its  fulfiUxient,  resting  on  the  fact 
that  both  are  based  on  one  and  the  same  thing  ; 
namely,  the  plan  and  method  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  For  in  this  the  two  are  one  :  the  prayer 
being  the  Christian  anticipation  or  presentiment 
developed  out  of  the  collective  activity  of  the 
Divine  spirit,  and  its  fulfilment  being  the  expres- 
sion of  the  ruling  activity  of  Christ  in  relation  to 
the  same  subject.  Thus  looked  at,  the  fulfilment 
would  not  have  come  if  the  prayer  had  not  pre- 
ceded it ;  for  in  that  case,  the  point  which  it  was 
to  follow  in  the  development  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  would  have  been  wanting.  The  prayer  is 
not  because  of  its  fulfilment,  as  though  the  prayer 
stood  isolated  as  an  unconnected  cause,  but  be- 
cause the  right  prayer  can  have  no  other  object 
than  something  in  the  order  of  the  Divine  will."  * 
This  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus  is  the  prayer 
according  to  God's  will  (1  John  v.  14,  15).  It 
is  the  prayer  made  by  those  who  abide  in  Jesus 
and  who  have  his  words  abiding  in  them  (John 
XV.  7).  It  is  the  prayer  of  those  who  are  willing 
to  forgive  their  enemies   (Mark  xi.  25).    It  is  the 

*   Christliche  Glauhe,  §  147. 


PRAYER   WITHOUT    CEASING.  55 

prayer  of  humility,  like  that  of  the  Publican  who 
went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the 
Pharisee  (Luke  xviii.  10-  14).  It  is,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  prayer  of  Faith  ;  and  it  is  also  the  wor- 
ship of  God  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth 
(John  iv.  23,  24).  It  includes  in  itself,  there- 
fore, all  these  separate  conditions  of  acceptable 
prayer.  It  is  the  prayer  of  Faith,  as  it  rests  on 
faith  in  Christ  and  his  promises.  It  is  the  prayer 
of  Truth,  as  it  asks  for  that  which  we  really  de- 
sire. And  it  is  prayer  in  the  Spirit,  inasmuch  as 
its  object  is  not  private  or  personal,  but  generous 
and  large  ;  being  essentially,  in  all  its  various 
forms,  a  prayer  for  the  redemption  of  man  from 
all  evil :  and  therefore,  necessarily,  it  is  an  hum- 
ble and  a  forgiving  prayer. 

§  13.     Prayer  without  ceasing. 

The  Apostles,  in  their  Epistles,  frequently  re- 
fer to  Prayer  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  Christian 
life.  Unceasing  prayer  is  urged  1  Thess.  v.  17. 
So  Eph.  vi.  18,  "  praying  always^''  &c.  Phil.  iv. 
6,  "  In  every  tilings  by  prayer  and  supplication, 
with  thanksgiving,  let  your  request  be  made 
known  unto  God."  1  Tim.  v.  5,  the  widow  is 
spoken  of  who  continues  in  supplication  and 
prayer  night  and  day.     Rom.  xii.  12,  "  continu- 


56        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ing  instant  in  prayer."     Col.  iv.  2,  "  Continue  in 
prayer,  and  watch  in  the  same  with  thanksgiving." 
1  Peter  iv.  7,  "  Be  sober,  and  icatch  unto  prayer." 
James  v.  13,  "  Is  any  among  you  afflicted,   let 
him  pray  :  is  he  happy,  let  him  sing  psalms." 
Jude  i.  20,  "  But  ye,  beloved,  praying  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,   keep   yourselves    in   the   love   of  God." 
This   spirit   of  constant   prayer   was   a   natural 
growth  of  Christianity  ;  one  peculiarity  of  which 
above  other  religions,  was  to  insist  on  a  perma 
nent  union  of  the  soul  with  God,  and  an   im 
manent  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart, 
instead  of  transient  inspirations.     Hence  Chris 
tianity  is  spoken  of  as  a  life  ;  as  a  constant,  reg 
ular  activity  of  the  spiritual  nature,  —  "  the  law 
of  the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus,"  —  "  eternal 
life  abiding  within  us,"  —  God  and  Christ  "  com- 
ing to  make    their  abode  in  us."     Such  is  the 
language  of  the  New  Testament. 

Therefore,  to  pray  without  ceasing  intends  the 
unbroken  union  of  the  soul  with  God,  so  that  all 
of  life  shall  flow  from  God  and  to  God.  It  does 
not  mean  a  life  like  that  of  the  monks  or  hermits, 
in  which  men  retire  from  the  world  to  devote 
themselves  to  formal  acts  of  worship,  and  to 
make  that  the  chief  business  of  life  :  for  such 
exclusive  activity  of  the  devotional  element  would 


57 


not  be  as  truly  unceasing  prayer  as  a  life  which 
alternates,  like  that  of  Jesus,  between  the  moun- 
tain and  the  multitude.  He  who  does  nothing  but 
pray  is  unable  even  to  do  this.  His  prayer  ne- 
cessarily degenerates  into  a  form,  into  an  outward 
routine,  and  so  ceases  to  be  prayer.  When  he 
takes  himself  out  of  life,  where  is  the  sphere  of 
Christian  duty,  he  loses  the  subject-matter  for 
prayer.  He  has  nothing  to  pray  for,  except  in 
relation  to  the  moods  of  his  own  mind,  and  there- 
fore his  prayer  becomes  wholly  personal ;  and 
instead  of  praying  out  of  an  interest  in  Christ's 
kingdom,  and  the  coming  of  his  truth  in  the 
world,  he  prays  only  for  himself.  Therefore  to 
pray  without  ceasing  is  to  work  for  man  in  con- 
stant reliance  on  God  ;  to  work  for  Christ,  and  in 
every  moment  of  need  to  look  to  God  for  strength 
wherewith  to  work.  While  this  habit  of  inter- 
course with  God  is  maintained,  while  we  thus  bring 
all  parts  of  our  life  before  Him  in  thankfulness, 
penitence,  or  supplication,  we  fulfil  the  command 
to  pray  without  ceasing. 

§  14.     The  Lorcfs  Prayer. 

We  find  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  two  places : 
Matt.  vi.  9  -  13  ;  Luke  xi.  1-5.  It  is  doubtful 
which  of  these  two  places  contains  the  original 


58       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

form  of  the  prayer.  In  favor  of  Matthew  is  the 
fact,  that  it  is  much  abridged  in  Luke  ;  and  in 
favor  of  Luke,  that  the  occasion  for  the  prayer 
seems  more  suitable.  We  are  not  to  suppose  this 
prayer  set  up  as  a  form  to  be  verbally  followed, 
but  rather  as  a  model  in  its  substance,  tone,  and 
method.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  show  that 
the  petitions  in  this  prayer  were  borrowed  from 
Jewish  liturgies  :  and  even  Wetstein  says  the 
whole  prayer  is  made  up  of  Hebrew  formulas. 
But  Tholuck  has  shown  that  this  prayer  was 
taken  neither  from  the  Talmud  nor  the  Zenda- 
vesta  ;  and  De  Wette,  a  very  cold-blooded  critic, 
remarks,  that, "  though  Lightfoot,  Schottgen,  Wet- 
stein, Vitringa,  and  others  have  collected  all  pos- 
sible parallels,  even  out  of  modern  Jewish  pray- 
er-books, it  yet  appears,  even  supposing  that  the 
Jews  have  not  imitated  it,  that  the  prayer  of  the 
Lord  is  by  no  means  a  cento  ^  but  contains  mere- 
ly correspondences  to  well-known  Old  Testa- 
ment and  Messianic  ideas  and  expressions,  and 
this  too  only  in  the  first  two  pethions." 

Short  as  this  prayer  is,  it  has  usually  been  sup- 
posed to  contain  a  great  fulness  of  meaning. 
TertuUian  says  it  truly  contains  the  breviaiy  of  the 
whole  Gospel  :  and  De  Wette  remarks,  that  it 
expresses  in  its  seven  petitions  the  whole  course 


THE  lord's  prayer.  59 

of  religious  experience  ;  in  the  first  three,  the  un- 
hindered flight  of  the  spirit  to  God  ;  in  the  next 
three,  the  hinderances  opposed  to  this  aspiration 
by  the  sense  of  dependence  on  earthly  circum- 
stances, and  by  the  conflict  with  sin ;  while  the 
last  petition  expresses  the  solution  which  harmo- 
nizes this  conflict.  But  it  is  well  remarked  by 
Tholuck  that  only  in  the  mouth  of  the  Christian 
does  this  prayer  obtain  its  full  meaning,  since 
only  the  Christian  can  call  God  Father  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  word,  only  he  can  pray  with  right 
intelligence  for  the  coming  of  God's  kingdom, 
and  only  he  can  say,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as 
we  forgive  our  debtors." 

"  Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven."  The  word 
"  our  "  expresses  the  sense  of  human  brother- 
hood, the  word  "  Father  "  the  sense  of  childlike 
trust.  Thus  the  two  great  commandments,  love 
to  God  and  love  to  man,  are  united  in  this  first 
expression.  The  word  Father  is  indeed  applied 
to  Jehovah  a  few  times  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
the  same  name  was  given  to  Zeus  by  the  Greeks, 
and  to  Jupiter  by  the  Romans.  But  the  sense  in 
which  the  Heathen  and  the  Jews  call  the  Supreme 
Being  "  Father  of  gods  and  men,"  is  difl^erent 
from  the  Christian  meaning  of  the  term  in  this, 


60        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

that  they  intended  by  it  rather  the  original  source 
and  author  of  our  lives  than  their  present  guard- 
ian and  friend.  The  Christian  use  of  the  term 
implies  the  presence  of  a  filial  confidence  (Gal. 
iv.  6).  But  with  this  confidence  and  trust,  which 
enable  us  to  bring  to  God  our  actual  wishes,  must 
be  combined  that  sense  of  his  holiness  and  infinite 
perfection  which  shall  purify  and  elevate  our 
prayer,  and  therefore  we  immediately  say,  "  who 
art  in  Heaven."  This  expression,  teaching  us  to 
realize  the  infinite  elevation  of  God  in  his  un- 
changing nature,  of  which  the  pure  ether  is  the 
symbol,  makes  our  prayer  spiritual.  When  we 
say,  "  Our  Father,"  we  worship  God  in  truth, 
bringing  to  Him  our  real  feelings  ;  when  we  say, 
"  who  art  in  Heaven,"  we  worship  him  in  spirit, 
bringing  to  Him  our  test  feelings. 

"  Hallowed  be  thy  name."  Understanding  by 
"  name,"  as  we  before  said,  character^  or  the 
most  intimate  and  essential  being,  this  clause  is 
an  expression  of  reverence  before  the  Divine  na- 
ture. And  this  is  the  necessary  beginnipg  of  all 
true  prayer  :  first  to  recognize  the  holiness  of 
the  presence  in  which  we  stand,  and  then,  in  the 
contemplation  of  it,  to  seek  that  this  holiness  may 
be  felt  and  understood  more  deeply  by  ourselves 
and  others. 


THY    KINGDOM    COME.  61 

"Thy   kingdom    come."     This,   as    we    have 
seen,  is  the  most  central  and  essential  part  of  the 
whole  prayer,  and  constitutes  the  centre  of  all 
Christian  prayer.     The  precise  meaning  of  this 
phrase,  as  used  in  the  New  Testament,  is  open  to 
dispute,  and  very  different  meanings  have  been 
given.     By  some  it  has  been  thought  to   mean 
a  present  reign  of  God  in  this  world,  and  by 
others   a   future    reign,  either   in    this  world    or 
the  next.     Those  who  regard  it  as  present,  are 
again  divided  in  opinion  as   to  whether  it  is  an 
outward  or  an  inward  kingdom,  a  kingdom  in  the 
soul  (either  of  individuals  or  in  the  general  spirit 
of  society),  or  an  outward  kingdom  in  the  form 
of  a  community,  a  church,  a  regenerated  social 
order,  and  a  reform   of  the   moral   evils  of  the 
world.     And,  in   truth,  the  comprehensive  term 
includes  all  these  things,  and  intends  God  reign- 
ing through  the  power  of  Christ,  first  in  the  in- 
dividual  soul,  next  in  a  Christian  community  or 
Church,  afterwards  in  a  purified  civilization  and 
a  world  redeemed  from  evil.     And  this  kingdom 
or  reign  of  God,  beginning  in  this  life,  goes  on 
into  the  other,  so  that  the  two  worlds  are  bound 
together  and  made  one,  and 

"  The  saints  below  and  those  above 
But  one  communion  make  " 
6 


62        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    TRAYER. 

Now  he  who  becomes  a  disciple  of  Christ 
takes  up,  as  his  work  in  life,  this  work  of  his 
Master,  and  becomes  one  of  that  great  brother- 
hood whose  aim  it  is  to  cause  Christ  to  reign  till 
all  enemies  are  subdued  to  obedience  and  grati- 
tude by  the  power  of  his  truth  and  his  love. 
And  as  his  aim,  so  his  prayer.  Whatever  else 
he  may  ask,  this  deepest  purpose  of  his  life  finds 
its  expression  in  his  prayer,  and  subordinates 
every  thing  else  to  itself. 

"  Thy  v>^ill  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 
This  clause  of  the  prayer  has  been  sometimes 
interpreted  as  a  supplication,  and  at  other  times 
as  an  act  of  submission,  equivalent  to  that  of 
Christ  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  If  the  pre- 
ceding clause  directs  our  attention  rather  to  the 
outward  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  in  a  renewed  so- 
ciety and  a  reformation  of  conduct,  this  refers 
more  to  the  centre  in  the  soul,  where  God  reigns 
over  a  will  at  one  with  his. 

"  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread."  By  this 
petition  we  are  brought  into  relation  with  the  out- 
ward world  of  temporal  needs ;  and  this  request, 
inserted  by  the  Master  in  our  daily  prayer,  is  the 
one   sufficient    reply   to   all    objections    against 


D^ILY   BREAD.  63 

making  temporal  wants  the  object  of  petition. 
It  is  bread,  one  of  the  humblest  of  those  wants, 
—  bread,  one  of  the  wants  which  we  should, 
more  than  any  other,  expect  to  receive  from 
work  rather  than  from  prayer ;  —  "  daily  bread," 
to  be  asked  for,  therefore,  continually  ;  —  "  give 
us  to-day,"  therefore,  a  specific  and  particular, 
not  a  general,  petition.  It  is  evident  that  this 
request  will  justify  petitions  for  all  the  objects  of 
temporal  desire  which  can  be  asked  for  in  a 
Christian  spirit. 

The  word  here  translated  "  daily  "  [iinova-Lov) 
is  one  of  those  New  Testament  words  which  is  not 
to  be  met  with  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament, 
nor  in  any  of  the  other  twelve  hundred  works  of 
Greek  literature  which  remain  to  us,*  and  its 
meaning  has  been  much  disputed  from  the  earliest 
times.  Its  signification  depends  on  its  derivation, 
which,  in  like  manner,  has  been  always  a  matter 
of  controversy.  According  to  one  view,  the  m^ean- 
ing  is  necessary  bread,  or  bread  necessary  for  es- 
sential want ;  according  to  the  other,  bread  for  the 
day,  or  for  the  coming  day.  It  has  also  been  a 
question  much  discussed,  whether  spiritual  bread 
and  spiritual  needs  are  included  in  this  petition 

*  Tholuck,  Bergpredigt. 


64        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

with  temporal,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  interpret- 
ers translate  "  super-substantial  bread,"  referring 
it  to  the  Eucharist.  But  this  last  interpretation  is 
extremely  forced ;  while  we  may  readily  admit 
that  spiritual  needs  are  included  in  the  petition 
with  temporal.  For  if  we  understand  the  term 
here  in  dispute  to  mean  that  which  is  necessary, 
then,  according  to  the  symbolical  language  of 
Scripture,  the  whole  petition  would  be  for  all 
that  we  need  —  whether  of  temporal  or  spiritual 
things  —  to  make  us  strong  for  this  day's  occa- 
sions. 

"  And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors."  From  seeking  strength  for  outward 
work,  we  pass  inward  by  means  of  this  petition, 
and  seek  deliverance  from  the  daily  recurring 
sense  of  estrangement  from  God  because  of  spir- 
itual weakness.  The  prayer,  so  full  of  courage, 
which  has  asked  nothing  less  than  that  we  should 
do  God's  will  as  it  is  done  by  the  angels,  is 
also  filled  with  the  humility  and  the  self-knowl- 
edge which  recognize  daily  weakness  and  failure. 
How  different  is  this  from  the  prayer  ascribed  to 
ApoUonius,  who  used  to  ask  every  day,  "  O  ye 
gods !  give  me  that  which  is  my  due."  The 
condition  attached  to  this  request  has  caused  a 


FORGIVE   VS    OUR   DEBTS.  65 

difficulty  to  interpreters  in  all  times.  And  Chry- 
sostom  tells  us  that  in  the  ancient  Church  many 
worshippers  from  fear  were  accustomed  to  omit 
this  clause  altogether.  Others,  like  Zwingle, 
turn  it  into  a  profession  of  faith ;  or,  like  Luther, 
make  it  a  vow  to  God ;  or,  like  Calvin,  consider 
it  as  a  warning  to  be  merciful.  But  most  inter- 
preters more  justly  consider  it  to  imply  that,  if 
our  prayer  for  forgiveness  is  to  be  heard,  it 
should  be  offered  in  a  forgiving  spirit.  The 
meaning  is,  not  that  we  must  forgive  others  to 
the  same  degree  with  which  we  are  forgiven,  but 
in  the  same  way  and  the  same  spirit.  God  for- 
gives us  a  great  debt,  (Matt,  xviii.  32,)  "  and  we 
must  also  have  compassion  on  our  fellow-ser- 
vants." The  remarkable  feature  in  this  clause 
is  that  it  should  be  found  where  it  is,  apparently 
breaking  into  the  chain  of  thought,  and  taking  the 
mind  away  from  the  contemplation  of  its  relation 
to  God,  into  that  of  its  relation  to  its  fellow-man. 
But  this  also  accords  with  the  spirit  of  Christian 
prayer,  which  is  a  spirit  of  communion,  and  with 
the  beginning  of  the  prayer  which  addresses 
God  as  "  our  Father."  The  whole  of  this  clause 
implies  the  need  of  daily  self-examination,  to 
see  whether  we  are  at  peace  with  God  and  with 
man. 

6* 


66       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

"  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation."  This  pe- 
tition involves  two  difficulties.  Since  temptation 
or  trial  is  the  necessary  condition  of  human  de- 
velopment, why  should  we  ask  7iot  to  be  led  into 
temptation?  For  James  says  (i.  2),  "Count  it 
all  joy  when  ye  fall  into  divers  temptations, 
knowing  that  the  trial  of  your  faith  worketh  pa- 
tience." And  secondly,  how  can  God  be  said  to 
lead  us  into  temptation,  since  not  he,  but  Satan, 
is  the  tempter  ?  And  the  Apostle  also  says  (James 
i.  13,  14),  "  Let  no  man  say,  when  he  is  tempted, 
I  am  tempted  of  God ;  for  God  cannot  be  tempted 
with  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man  ;  but  every 
man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  by  his 
own  lusts  and  enticed."  The  solution  commonly 
given  to  the  first  difficulty  is  to  explain  the  pe- 
tition to  mean,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation  too 
great  for  us  to  resist."  But  the  Christian,  who  is 
conscious  of  his  weakness  in  himself,  feels  that 
any  temptation  may  be  too  strong  for  him,  and 
therefore  prays  to  be  spared,  in  a  sense  of  his 
liability  to  fall.  This  self-distrust  which  trusts  in 
God  may  make  temptation  unnecessary ;  for  the 
object  of  temptation  is,  in  part,  to  teach  this  very 
lesson  of  our  weakness.  Hence  if  we  pray  be- 
forehand, in  the  right  spirit,  to  be  saved  from 
temptation,  then  the  prayer  may  do  for  us  all 


LEAD    US    NOT    INTO    TEMPTATION.  67 

that  the  temptation  would  do.  But  if,  neverthe- 
less, the  temptation  comes,  we  may  be  sure  that 
we  needed  it,  and  may  hope  that  we  shall  have 
strength  to  resist  it  adequate  to  the  occasion. 
Thus  the  prayer  of  Jesus  will  be  fulfilled  in  our 
behalf.  We  shall  not  be  taken  out  of  the  world, 
but  kept  from  the  evil.  That  which  would  have 
been  dangerous  temptation,  if  we  had  not  prayed, 
is  changed  into  trial  by  our  prayer ;  and  by 
means  of  such  trial,  we  enter  more  certainly  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  The  solution  usually  given 
to  the  second  difficulty  is  to  paraphrase  the  pas- 
sage as  though  it  read,  "  Suffer  us  not  to  fall  into 
temptation."  But  this  is  merely  evading  the 
difficulty,  not  solving  it.  The  temptation  is  oc- 
casioned by  circumstances  which  come  in  the 
providence  of  God  ;  and  if  they  thus  come,  does 
not  he  tempt  us.?  The  answer  is,  that,  though 
the  occasion  of  temptation  is  in  the  circumstances 
which  God  does  arrange,  the  cause  of  temptation 
is  in  our  own  lusts  or  evil  desires,  according  to 
the  statement  of  the  Apostle.  It  is  apparent  that 
the  same  circumstance  which  would  be  a  tempta- 
tion to  one  man  would  be  no  temptation  to  an- 
other. The  outward  act  is  not  the  cause,  but  the 
occasion,  of  temptation  ;  and,  moreover,  when 
this  occasion  is  sent  by  God,  it  is  not  sent  be- 


68       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

cause  he  wishes  us  to  fall  into  evil,  but  because 
he  wishes  us  either  to  learn  our  own  weakness, 
or  to  practise  and  increase  our  strength.  A 
wicked  man  may  take  a  Satanic  pleasure  in 
making  others  wicked  like  himself,  and  may  be 
really  a  tempter,  but  God  does  not  thus  tempt. 
He  tries  us,  that  we  may  grow  purer  or  stronger 
through  the  trial.  Thus  explained,  we  see  that 
Jesus  intends,  that,  as  we  have  recognized  in  the 
preceding  petition  for  forgiveness  our  past  weak- 
ness, so  we  should  recognize  in  the  present  pe- 
tition the  possibility  of  future  weakness,  and  in 
this  recognition  find  strength  :  according  as  Paul 
says,  "  When  I  was  weak,  then  I  was  strong." 

"  But  deliver  us  from  evil."  As  we  have  just 
prayed  to  be  delivered  from  outward  temptation, 
which  is  the  occasion  of  sin,  we  now  ask  to  be 
delivered  by  the  Holy  Spirit  inwardly  from  the 
evil  of  a  selfish  heart,  which  is  the  cause  of  sin. 
And  in  this  petition  also  is  included  the  outward 
evil  which  results,  directly  or  indirectly,  from 
inward  evil.  This  petition  is  opposed  to  a  false 
optimism,  which  considers  all  evil  as  merely 
negative,  and  does  not  recognize  the  possibility 
of  the  soul,  by  abuse  of  its  freedom,  coming  into 
a  positive  antagonism  to  God.     If  there  were  no 


THE    EPILOGUE.  69 

real  evil  in  the  world,  but  only  different  degrees 
of  good,  this  petition  would  be  without  meaning. 
Much  of  the  philosophy  of  the  present  time  ex- 
plains away  the  whole  positive  side  of  evil,  and 
establishes  such  a  superficial  optimism.  But  the 
deepest  thought  of  this  and  of  every  other  age 
sees  more  clearly  that  there  is  positive  evil,  as 
well  as  negative  ;  that  selfishness,  hatred,  cruelty, 
and  licentiousness  are  not  merely  lower  degrees 
of  generosity,  love,  humanity,  and  purity,  but 
their  exact  opposites,  —  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  dislike  to  goodness,  hatred  of  truth,  and  aver- 
sion to  God.  This  deeper  thought  is  in  harmony 
with  the  deeper  Christian  experience  which  finds 
in  the  soul  a  like  antagonism,  and  recognizes  the 
presence  of  these  great  polar  forces  in  the  depths 
of  our  moral  life.  Out  of  such  a  conviction,  and 
by  means  of  such  an  experience  only,  can  this 
petition  be  uttered  with  entire  truth. 

The  Epilogue.  "  For  thine  is  the  kingdom, 
and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen."  Almost  all  critics,  Tholuck  included, 
decide  against  the  genuineness  of  this  Epilogue. 
The  reason  is  wholly  critical,  for  there  is  nothing 
in  the  passage  itself  inconsistent  with  the  spirit 
of  Jesus.     On  the  contrar}^,  it  forms  an  appro- 


70       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

pri^te  close  to  the  whole  prayer,  including  in  a 
few  brief  words  its  ground  and  aim.  The  king- 
dom^ for  the  coming  of  which  we  pray,  is  God's ; 
therefore,  we  believe  that  he  will  take  charge  of 
it,  and  not  allow  it  to  be  kept  back  by  the  powers 
of  evil.  The  power  is  his  to  cause  it  to  succeed, 
for  his  omnipotence  surrounds  the  laws  of  Na- 
ture and  the  will  of  man.  And  the  glory  is  his, 
not  ours ;  therefore  we  may  rightfully  ask  what 
confidence  in  his  power  leads  us  to  ask,  with 
assured  hope. 

Such  is  the  substance  of  this  wonderful  prayer ; 
with  which  we  may  appropriately  conclude  our 
summary  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  on  this  subject ; 
since  the  prayer  itself  includes  and  illustrates  all 
his  teaching  on  this  point.  It  is  brief  and  com- 
prehensive ;  containing  no  vain  repetitions.  It  is 
filled  with  childlike  trust  in  the  Father,  with 
brotherly  sympathy  for  man.  It  is  earnest  and 
spiritual,  submitting  to  God's  will,  and  desiring 
that  to  be  done,  yet  expressing  the  most  common 
desires  and  needs  of  daily  life.  It  is  an  humble 
but  a  hopeful  prayer  ;  recognizing  the  fact  of 
evil,  recognizing  the  fact  of  an  entire  salvation 
from  all  evil.  It  so  feels  the  weakness  of  man, 
as  to  ask  to  be  saved  from  temptation.     It  so 


PRAYERS    OF    JESUS.  71 

feels  the  capability  of  man,  that  it  asks  to  do 
God's  will  on  earth,  as  it  is  done  by  the  angels 
around  the  throne.  It  is  a  prayer  which  the  low- 
liest sinner  may  utter,  which  the  holiest  saint 
cannot  outgrow. 

§  15.    Prayers  of  Jesus. 

The  instances  recorded  of  the  prayers  of  Jesus 
are  not  numerous,  but  are  all  interesting.  After 
the  great  miracle  of  feeding  the  five  thousand,  he 
sent  his  disciples  away  in  a  boat,  and  went  into 
a  mountain  apart  by  himself  to  pray.  Before 
choosing  the  twelve  disciples,  he  went  out  into 
a  mountain,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer 
to  God ;  and  when  the  day  came,  called  all  his 
disciples,  and  from  among  them  selected  the 
Twelve.  Again,  Jesus  prayed  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration,  and  came,  by  that  prayer,  into 
a  higher  state.  He  prayed  before  raising  Laza- 
rus from  the  dead ;  with  his  friends  and  for  his 
friends,  'at  the  institution  of  the  Supper ;  for  his 
enemies  upon  the  cross  ;  for  himself  in  the  Gar- 
den of  Gethsemane.  These  instances  (which,  no 
doubt,  are  the  few  recorded  examples  of  a  much 
more  frequent  practice)  all  hint  at  a  connection 
between  the  prayer  and  its  occasion.  These 
prayers  of  Jesus  all  grow  out  of  his  life.     After 


72        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

feeding  the  five  thousand,  the  people  wished  to 
make  him  a  king ;  and  his  disciples,  he  discovers 
by  conversing  with  them,  are  convinced  that  he 
is  the  Messiah.  He  inculcates  on  them  the  con- 
viction that  he  is  going,  not  to  outward  tri- 
umph, but  to  suffering  and  death.  He  seeks  thus 
to  check  the  rise  in  their  minds  of  false  hopes. 
He  then  sends  the  disciples  away  across  the  lake, 
and  himself  goes  into  the  mountain  alone  to  pray. 
It  is  natural  to  th^nk  that  the  subject  in  his  mind 
would  be  the  subject  of  his  prayer,  and  that  he 
felt  the  importance  of  having  these  false  popular 
tendencies  restrained  by  new  influences  from 
above.  When  he  prayed  before  choosing  his 
disciples,  it  is  probable  that  he  had  in  his  mind 
the  important  consequences  which  would  result 
from  this  choice,  and  felt  the  need  of  being 
guided  in  it  aright.  The  subject  of  his  prayer 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  we  do  not  know, 
but  its  result  was,  that  he  passed  visibly  into  a 
higher  state,  and  a  sphere  in  which  he  had  com- 
munion with  Elijah  and  Moses,  and  the  subject 
of  their  conversation  was  his  coming  death  at 
Jerusalem.  The  prayer  at  Gethsemane,  so  deep- 
ly interesting  for  other  reasons,  is  important  as 
regards  our  present  subject,  as  showing  that  it 
was  still  possible,  in  the  opinion  of  Jesus,  that 


PRAYER  OF  JESUS,  JOHN  XVII.       73 

in  consequence  of  his  prayer  he  might  be  spared 
the  approaching  trial.  Now  this  is  the  most 
complete  reply  to  the  objection  to  the  answer  to 
Prayer,  taken  from  the  immutability  of  the  Divine 
purposes.  Jesus  had  foreseen  his  death  ap- 
proaching, had  spoken  of  it  repeatedly  as  some- 
thing necessary ;  and  yet,  at  this  very  late  hour, 
he  did  not  consider  it  so  immutably  fixed  but  that 
it  might  possibly  still  not  take  place  because  of 
his  prayer.  It  is  impossible  to  believe  less  than 
this ;  and  it  therefore  follows,  that  no  event  can 
be  considered  to  be  so  absolutely  decreed  but 
that  it  may  be  altered  by  the  freedom  of  the 
Almighty  will. 

§  16.     Prayer  of  Jesus  in  John  xvii. 

This  last  prayer  of  Jesus  with  his  disciples, 
contained  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  John,  is 
filled  with  a  wonderful  fulness  and  depth  of 
thought  and  feeling.  The  cool  De  Wette  re- 
marks, that  it  is  unquestionably  the  most  elevated 
of  any  thing  which  evangelical  tradition  has  pre- 
served, containing  the  pure  stamp  of  that  lofty 
consciousness  of  union  and  peace  with  God  which 
belongs  to  Jesus.  The  prevailing  thought  is  his 
own  union  with  God,  which  is  to  be  a  medium 
through  which  the  life  of  God  is  to  flow  into  the 
7 


74       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

whole  human  race.  He  asks  that  he  may  now 
receive  the  glory  foreordained  for  him  before  the 
world  was,  of  transmitting  the  Divine  glory  of 
truth  and  love  into  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men. 
He  feels  himself  about  to  ascend  to  God,  and  that 
his  power  to  conquer  the  sin  of  the  world  is 
now  to  begin.  But  as  Jesus  ascended  from  the 
world,  and  was  outwardly  to  be  separated  from 
his  disciples,  he  felt  the  more  their  need  of  being 
kept  by  Divine  power  in  union  with  each  other 
and  with  God,  and  this  is  the  substance  of  his 
prayer. 

The  use  and  meaning  of  the  term  "  glory  "  in 
this  closing  part  of  John's  Gospel  has  perhaps  not 
been  sufficiently  examined.  That  it  means  some- 
thing very  different  from  what  is  commonly  called 
"  glory,"  is  sufficiently  apparent.  But  what  does 
it  mean  ?  If  we  turn  to  John  xii.  20,  we  find 
an  account  of  certain  Greeks  at  the  Feast  who 
expressed  a  desire  to  see  Jesus.  The  emotion 
which  Jesus  hereupon  discovered  arose,  I  think, 
from  his  seeing  in  this  inquiry  of  the  Greeks  the 
two  great  elements  coming  together  which  were 
to  form  the  basis  of  Christianity,  —  the  Greek 
and  the  Jew.  He  saw  the  true  religion  about  to 
be  emancipated  from  its  previous  barriers  and  to 
overflow  the  world,  and  he  was  deeply  convinced 


GLORY    OF    CHRIST.  75 

that  this  emancipation  of  religion  which  was  to 
be  his  glory  could  only  take  place  through  his 
death,  and  therefore  he  says  (verse  23),  "The 
hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  Man  should  be  glo- 
rified "  ;  and  adds,  that  "  except  a  grain  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  ;  but 
if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  He  is 
evidently  seized  with  profound  agitation,  and 
says.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled,  and  what  shall 
I  say?  Shall  I  say.  Father,  save  me  from  this 
hour  ?  But  for  this  purpose  I  have  come  to  this 
hour.  —  Father,  GLORIFY  thy  name.  The  glory 
was  to  be  this  outflow  of  Divine  life  over  the 
world,  and  Jesus  directly  adds.  This  is  the  cri- 
sis of  the  world,  and  now  the  Prince  of  this  world 
shall  be  cast  out,  and  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  I  will  draw  all  unto  me.  This  would 
seem  to  make  it  clear  that  the  glory  of  Jesus 
was,  to  be  the  medium,  by  his  death,  of  unit- 
ing all  mankind  into  one  brotherhood  under  one 
Father.  But  this  appears  more  strikingly  from 
the  forty-first  verse,  which,  after  a  quotation  from 
Isaiah,  declares,  "  These  things  said  Isaiah,  when 
he  saw  his  glory ^  and  spake  of  him."  If  now 
we  refer  to  Isaiah  (vi.  10),  we  shall  find  that  he 
had  a  vision  of  God  sitting  in  the  Temple,  but 
his  glory  extending  out  of  it,  and  filling  the  whole 


76   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

earth.  As  be  looked,  the  door-posts  of  the  Tem- 
ple were  moved,  and  the  Temple  itself  became 
clouded  and  dark  with  smoke.  Then  he  was 
told  that  the  heart  of  the  Jewish  people  was  to  be 
made  hard,  &c.  This  vision  John  applies  to 
Jesus.  The  glory  of  God  leaves  the  Temple  and 
fills  the  whole  earth.  This  is  fulfilled  in  the 
Jews'  rejection  of  Jesus,  and  the  Gentiles'  receiv- 
ing him.  Both  had  just  been  spoken  of  by  John 
(in  xii.  32),  speaking  of  Christ  being  glorified 
also  by  the  death  which  would  draw  all  men 
unto  him  ;  fulfilling  thus  one  part  of  the  vision, 
and  the  other  part  being  fulfilled  by  the  unbelief 
of  the  Jews  bringing  the  darkness  upon  them 
(verse  35)  prefigured  by  the  Temple  being  filled 
with  smoke.  The  glory,  therefore,  spoken  of, 
John  xii.  41,  is  the  glory  given  by  God  to  Christ, 
and  by  him  to  his  disciples  (John  xvii.  22). 
When  Jesus  glorified  God,  he  also  glorified  him- 
self, but  not  by  seeking  his  own  glory  as  his  ob- 
ject (John  vii.  18,  viii.  50).  Isaiah  saw  the  glory 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  that  is,  of  God  in  Christ. 

This  prayer  of  Jesus  is  mainly  intercessory. 
As  the  High-Priest  entered  into  the  Holy  of 
Holies  to  intercede  with  God  for  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple, so  Jesus,  the  great  High-Priest  over  the 
house  of  God,  entered  into  this  "  sanctuary  of 


Christ's  intercession.  77 

sorrow,"  this  holiest  of  all,  this  most  sacred  hour 
of  any  mortal  life,  to  intercede  for  his  friends 
and  followers  in  all  time.  He  prayed  that  they 
might  be  one,  that  they  might  be  kept  by  the 
power  of  God  from  all  evil,  that  they  might  be 
sanctified  by  the  truth,  and,  finally,  that  they 
might  be  with  him,  and  see  his  glory,  and  be 
filled  with  the  same  Divine  love  which  was  in 
his  own  heart.  Such  a  prayer  could  only  be 
made  for  those  who  were  willing  to  receive  these 
blessings,  whose  hearts  were  turned  the  right 
way.  And  therefore  Jesus  says,  "  I  pray  for 
them,  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for  them 
which  thou  hast  given  me."  A  prayer  for  such 
spiritual  blessings  can  be  made  only  for  those 
who  are  willing  to  receive  them ;  for  no  Divine 
influence  interferes  with  the  freedom  of  the  will. 
So  Jesus  prayed  for  Peter  (Luke  xxii.  32),  but 
not  for  Judas.  It  is  an  interesting  question  what 
kind  of  intercessions  may  be  made  for  the  im- 
penitent. (See  1  John  V.  16.)  Luther  says:  "It 
must  be  right  to  pray  for  the  world,  and  right  not 
to  pray  for  the  world.  Stephen  prayed  for  his 
persecutors,  and  Christ  prayed  for  the  world  on 
the  cross."  That  Jesus  did  not  pray  for  the 
world  at  this  time,  but  only  for  his  disciples  and 
friends,  though  on  the  cross  he  prayed  for  his 


78       THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

enemies,  was  probably  because  he  wished  at  this 
time  to  remain  in  the  sphere  of  human  and  di- 
vine sympathy.  In  order  that  certain  moods  of 
mind  may  be  entire,  in  order  that  we  may  ad- 
vance far  in  certain  spiritual  directions,  it  is  ne- 
cessary that  nothing  uncongenial  should  break  into 
the  sphere  of  our  thought.  The  aspirations  of 
the  soul  to  God,  the  communion  of  the  heart  with 
man,  the  investigation  of  truth,  the  assault  on  er- 
ror, each  demands  its  own  congenial  atmosphere  ; 
and  when  mixed  together,  mental  dissipation  and 
distraction  is  the  result.  Therefore,  during  this 
hour  of  communion,  after  Judas  had  gone  out, 
the  mind  of  Jesus  was  wholly  occupied  with  the 
thought  of  his  friends  and  their  needs  ;  and  this 
period  of  sweet,  loving  intercourse  was  like  the 
calm  which  sometimes  comes  in  the  midst  of  the 
wildest  hurricane.  For  the  time,  all  thoughts  of  a 
hostile  world,  of  conspiring  foes,  and  an  impend- 
ing doom,  were  shut  out  of  his  mind,  and  all  was 
peace,  all  love. 

§  17.   The  Prayer  at  Gethsemane. 

Jesus  went  out  from  this  hour  of  holy  com- 
munion with  God,  with  his  friends,  and  with  the 
future,  as  one  goes  forth  from  a  warmed  and 
lighted  assembly  into  darkness  and  storm.     The 


AGONY    AT    GETHSEMANE.  79 

thought  of  the  comhig  fate  now  returned  into  his 
mind,  and  he  went  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  to 
the  Garden  so  familiar,  to  look  that  dark  destiny 
in  the  face.  Then  set  in  upon  his  soul  that  great 
flood  of  mysterious  sorrow  which  the  Christian 
world  has  ever  looked  upon  v/ith  such  deep  in- 
terest, and  sought  in  so  many  ways  to  explain. 
It  has  been  thought  to  imply  weakness  on  the 
part  of  Jesus  to  shrink  from  a  fate  which  he  had 
so  long  foreseen ;  and  it  has  been  supposed  to  be 
inconsistent  with  his  prophetic  foresight  that  he 
should  believe  it  possible  for  the  cup  to  pass 
away.  Some  critics,  therefore,  have  doubted  the 
historical  accuracy  either  of  this  event  or  of  the 
conversation  and  triumphant  prayer  in  John.  But 
if  we  assume,  according  to  the  supposition  just 
made,  that  Jesus  had  shut  out,  for  the  time,  all 
thought  of  his  approaching  death  in  order  to  en- 
joy a  full  communion  with  his  disciples,  this  sub- 
sequent reaction  of  mind  will  not  appear  unnatu- 
ral. Some  theologians  of  the  weaker  sort  have 
attempted  a  superficial  explanation  of  this  anguish 
as  arising  out  of  bodily  fatigue.  Such  expla- 
nations leave  the  chief  difficulty  unexplained 
Many  theologians,  therefore,  have  supposed  that 
Jesus  was  at  this  time  enduring  mystical  suffer- 
ings ;  that  he  was  undergoing  the  punishment  of 


80   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

the  sins  of  the  world,  and  was  forsaken  by  God.  To 
support  this  view,  they  have  joined  forces  with  the 
Deist,  and  argued,  with  Celsus  and  other  infidels, 
that  Jesus  here  shows  less  courage  and  firmness 
in  view  of  death  than  many  other  martyrs  of  all 
times.  To  this  it  has  been  correctly  answered, 
that  a  heroic  apathy,  like  that  of  the  Stoic  or 
North  American  Indian,  makes  no  part  of  the 
Christian  ideal,  and  that  the  fortitude  which  is 
based  on  insensibility  is  not  the  highest  courage. 
The  divine  strength  of  Christ  was  made  perfect 
in  his  human  weakness.  He  who  sees  and  feels 
the  whole  terror  of  evil,  and  then  firmly  encoun- 
ters it,  has  a  loftier  courage  than  the  hero  or 
martyr  who  goes  to  meet  it  with  insensibility,  or 
with  a  mind  wholly  occupied  with  excitement, 
and  with  his  attention  absorbed  in  a  glorious  fu- 
ture. Jesus  was  blinded  by  no  such  enthusiasm. 
He  saw  all  the  evils  that  were  to  come  ;  not  only 
his  own  sufferings,  but  those  of  his  disciples  and 
those  of  his  nation,  —  the  awful  calamities  which 
his  life  might  have  averted,  and  which  his  death 
would  hasten.  The  words  which  he  uttered  to 
the  women,  on  his  way  to  the  cross,  permit  us  to 
look  for  a  moment  into  his  mind.  "  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem  !  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  your- 
selves and  for  your  children."     He  had  no  en- 


JESUS    AT    GETHSEMANE.  81 

thusiastic  hope  of  a  sudden  triumph  of  the  Gospel. 
He  saw  but  too  clearly,  in  the  misunderstandings 
and  ignorance  of  his  disciples  concerning  his  mis- 
sion, how  long  it  must  be  before  it  could  be  com- 
prehended by  the  mass  of  mankind.  Buoyed  up 
by  no  delusive  hopes,  seeing  the  evil  in  its  full 
extent  and  greatness,  sharing  with  us  all  human 
sensibilities,  Jesus  recognized  and  accepted  with 
truthful  anguish  the  reality  of  the  coming  evil. 
But  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that 
the  bodily  pain  of  death  was  the  chief  bitterness 
in  the  cup  which  he  prayed  might  pass  away. 
The  anguish  was,  that  by  this  path  alone  his  great 
end  could  be  obtained,  that  all  these  elements  of 
wickedness  and  sin  should  be  necessarily  devel- 
oped by  the  course  he  was  pursuing,  that  his 
work  could  only  be  accomplished  by  means  of 
the  treachery  and  cowardice  of  his  friends,  the 
cruel  injustice  of  his  enemies,  and  the  murderous 
rage  of  the  people.  The  bitterest  ingredient  of 
the  cup  was  the  sin  mingled  in  it,  —  the  denial 
of  Peter,  the  treason  of  Judas,  the  heartless  policy 
of  Caiaphas,  the  selfish  injustice  of  Pilate,  the 
brutality  of  the  Roman  soldiers,  the  ingratitude 
of  the  Jewish  people.  He  saw  all  these  black 
elements  of  evil  approach  him,  and  he  might  well 
say,  "  This  is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of  dark- 


82        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ness."  He  might  well  turn  once  more  to  God^ 
and  ask,  with  the  last  energy  of  his  soul,  if  there 
was  no  other  way,  if  the  same  end  might  not  be 
attained  by  some  other  means  ;  if  the  world  might 
not  be  spared  this  great  crime ;  —  and  this  was 
the  substance  of  his  prayer. 

And  yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  it  may  be 
said  that  Jesus  bore  at  that  time  on  his  heart  the 
sins  of  the  world.  For  there  is  a  law  of  the  hu- 
man mind  which  causes  us  to  pass  from  the  par- 
ticular circumstance  of  evil  into  the  universal 
cause.  And  this  law  acts  in  proportion  to  the 
greatness  and  comprehensiveness  of  the  soul.  It 
is  but  a  small  nature  to  which  the  chief  grief  of 
any  evil  consists  in  the  actual  amount  of  present 
sorrow.  It  is  the  spirit  of  injustice  manifested 
therein,  the  discoveiy  of  a  law  of  evil,  the  de- 
struction of  earlier  confidence  and  hope,  which  is 
the  sharpest  pang.  It  is  to  find  the  law  of  disap- 
pointment, of  failure,  of  bereavement,  prevail- 
ing in  hfe.  Even  the  child's  deepest  grief  at  a 
trifling  disappointment  shows  itself  in  the  expres- 
sion, "  It  is  always  so  ;  I  never  can  have  any 
thing  I  want."  And  when  we  are  older,  and 
come  in  contact  with  the  grief  of  others,  it  is  not 
the  particular  evil,  but  the  underlying  law  of  evil, 
which  pours  gloom  over  life. 


JESUS    AT    GETHSEMANE.  83 

"  She  cries,  These  things  confound  me 
They  settle  on  my  brain, 
The  very  air  around  me 
Is  universal  pain.'' 

It  is  only  by  the  operation  of  this  law  that  I  am 
able  to  explain  the  anguish  of  Jesus  at  the  grave 
of  Lazarus.     It  could  not  be  merely  the  present 
sorrow  which  caused  him  not  only  to  weep,  but  to 
groan  within  himself  again  and  again  :  the  pres- 
ent sorrow  he  would  presently  remove.     But  m 
that  sorrow  he  felt  and  saw  a  symbol  of  all  earth- 
ly suffering,  of  all  human  bereavements  :  he  saw 
how  death  everywhere,  bereavement  everywhere, 
followed  close  upon  life.     And  this  large  over- 
looking view  of  the  sufferings  of  man  he  then  took 
in  anguish  upon  his  soul.     He  saw  then,  with  un- 
sealed eye,  what  Paul  afterwards  said,  that  "  the 
whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  to- 
gether until  now."     It  is  easy  to  shut  one's  eyes 
to  the  fact  of  evil,  and  look  only  at  the  bright  side 
of  things,  and  so  we  may  bear  it,—  hut  not  con- 
quer it.     Jesus  saw  and  felt  the  whole  amount  of 
evil,  and  therefore  was  able  to  overcome  it.    And 
as  at  the  tomb  of  Lazarus  he  bore  the  sufferings 
of  the  world,  so  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  he 
may  have  borne  the  sin  of  the  world,  —  entering 
by  one  living  experience   into   the  very  deepest 


84        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

depth  of  human  iniquhy.  But  this  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent thing  from  bearing  the  punishment  of  sin- 
ners, and  being  deprived  of  the  sight  of  God's 
love.  The  whole  prayer  at  Gethsemane  is  to  his 
Father,  which  proves  that  he  was  not  deprived 
of  the  sight  of  his  Father. 

As  regards  the  other  difficulty  in  the  prayer  at 
Gethsemane,  namely,  its  supposed  inconsistency 
with  his  prophetic  knowledge  of  his  approaching 
death,  we  must  consider  the  nature  of  prophecy 
in  order  to  find  its  solution.  The  prophet  does 
not  foresee  a  future  event  as  something  absolute- 
ly certain,  but  lie  sees  an  event  approaching.  He 
sees  the  event  in  the  future,  and  he  sees  it  com- 
ing near.  It  comes  nearer  and  nearer  :  it  is  just 
at  hand.  If  nothing  occurs  to  prevent  it,  it  must 
take  place ;  but  even  at  the  last  moment,  some- 
thing may  occur  to  prevent  it,  and  it  may  not 
take  place.  The  prophet  sees  the  tendency  of 
things ;  sees  the  direction  of  the  approaching 
wave  ;  sees  it  rising  overhead,  about  to  break  in 
thunder  and  foam  ;  and  this  he  announces.  This 
view  of  prophecy,  at  all  events,  is  the  only  one 
which  is  consistent  with  the  facts  recorded  in  the 
Bible,  and  with  such  a  prayer  as  this  of  Jesus. 
Continually  in  the  Old  Testament  the  prophets 
announce   events  as  about  to  take  place  which 


JESUS    AT    GETHSEMANE.  85 

never  do  take  place.  Thus  Jonah  declared  that 
in  forty  days  Nineveh  would  be  destroyed.  But 
the  inhabitants  of  Nineveh  repented,  and  Nineveh 
was  spared.  Isaiah  went  to  Hezekiah  and  said, 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord :  Set  thy  house  in  order, 
for  thou  shalt  die  and  not  live."  But  Hezekiah 
prayed,  and  God  heard  his  prayer  and  added  to 
his  days  fifteen  years.  Nathan  announced  to 
David  that  he  should  die  as  a  punishment  for  his 
sm.  But  David  confessed  his  sin,  and  Nathan 
said,  "  The  Lord  also  hath  put  away  thy  sin  ; 
thou  shalt  not  die."  We  see,  therefore,  that  the 
Scriptural  idea  of  prophecy  does  not  imply  any 
iron  fate,  or  any  system  of  necessity,  but  leaves 
untouched  the  Divine  and  human  freedom. 


86 


CHAPTER   III 


ob:j»-.->tions  to  prayer. 


§  18.    Metapliysical  and  Abstract.     TJie  Divine 
Attributes, 

According  to  the  view  we  have  taken,  Jesus 
and  his  Apostles  teach  that  both  outward  and  in- 
ward blessings  are  obtained  by  means  of  Prayer, 
and  that  we  may  thereby  obtain  blessings  of  both 
kinds  which  we  should  not  otherwise  receive. 
But  to  this  view  of  Prayer  objections  are  made, 
and  it  is  supposed  to  imply  philosophical  difficul- 
ties. These  we  now  proceed  to  consider.  We 
shall  first  look  at  the  metaphysical  and  abstract 
difficulties  based  upon  the  Divine  attributes, — 
then  the  scientific  difficulties,  based  on  the  laws 
of  Nature,  —  next  the  psychological  difficulties 
founded  on  human  freedom,  —  and  then  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  Spiritualist.  First,  therefore,  of  the 
metaphysical  difficulties.  These  are  found  in  the 
fact  of  the  omniscience,  omnipotence,  and  infinite 
benevolence  of  God.    It  is  said,  God  is  omniscient 


METAPHYSICAL    DIFFICULTIES.  87 

and  knows  what  is  best  for  us  without  our  telling 
him,  —  he  is  infinitely  good,  and  will  give  it  to  us 
whether  we  ask  him  or  not,  —  he  is  an  omnipo- 
tent sovereign,  and  must  act  according  to  his  own 
will,  without  reference  to  our  prayers.  But  it  is 
evident  that,  if  these  arguments  prove  that  Prayer 
is  unavailing,  they  prove  a  great  deal  more,  and 
prove  that  all  effort  in  any  way,  for  any  object,  is 
equally  unavailing.  Just  as  far  as  they  have 
force  as  against  the  power  of  Prayer,  they  go  to 
establish  a  system  of  Necessity,  or,  we  should 
rather  say,  a  Fatalism.  If  man  must  not  pray  in 
expectation  of  thereby  obtaining  what  he  wants, 
because  God  is  good,  neither  must  he  plough,  or 
sow,  or  build  a  house,  or  send  a  ship  across  the 
ocean.  If  it  is  best  for  him  to  have  a  house,  or  a 
crop  of  wheat,  God  is  infinitely  wise  and  good, 
and  will  give  them  to  him.  If  this  objection  from 
the  Divine  attributes  should  be  thus  urged  against 
such  efforts,  what  would  be  the  answer  ?  Com- 
mon sense  would  reply,  God  has  established  these 
means  by  which  we  are  to  obtain  certain  blessings ; 
and  if  we  use  these  means,  he  will  give  them  to 
us,  otherwise  not.  Precisely  the  same  answer 
may  be  made  to  this  objection,  as  urged  against 
Prayer.  It  may  be  that  it  is  well  for  us,  accord- 
ing to  the  Divine  view,  that  we  should  have  a 


88        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

house,  or  a  crop  of  wheat,  provided  we  use  the 
means,  —  not  well,  if  we  do  not  use  them.  So  it 
may  be  well  for  us,  in  the  view  of  God,  to  receive 
certain  blessings  if  we  pray,  —  not  well,  if  we  do 
not  pray.  The  only  question  is.  Has  God  made 
Prayer  one  way  of  obtaining  certain  blessings,  as 
he  has  made  foresight  and  labor  to  be  another 
way  ?  This  metaphysical  objection  to  Prayer  is 
an  objection  lying  against  free-will  altogether; 
and  by  whatever  argument  we  defend  the  free- 
dom of  the  will,  by  the  same  argument  we  may 
defend  Prayer,  so  far  as  this  objection  is  con- 
cerned. 

§  19.     Scientific  Objections.  —  Laws  of  Nature. 
— Combe'' s  Constitution  of  Man. 

The  second  of  the  philosophical  difficulties 
which  we  are  considering  is  founded  on  the  laws 
of  the  natural  world  and  the  order  of  things. 
Men  of  science,  accustomed  to  see  law  every- 
where, and  with  whom  all  explanation  is  equiva- 
lent to  the  discovery  of  laws,  find  it  difficult  to 
believe  in  any  real  answer  to  Prayer,  because  it 
seems  to  them  equivalent  to  a  violation  of  law. 
They  view  it  as  a  miracle,  and  they  believe  that 
miracles  have  ceased.  According  to  them,  God 
now  does  every  thing  in  accordance  with  law,  and 


combe's    constitution    of    3IAN.  89 

nothing,  in  any  strict  sense,  as  a  free  Being.  Or, 
in  other  words,  they  view  the  operation  of  the  Di- 
vine laws  in  such  a  way  as  to  exclude  the  Divine 
freedom.  Moreover,  as  they  see  that  the  object 
of  these  laws  is  a  benevolent  one  in  all  cases, 
they  do  not  see  how  God  could  interfere  to  sus- 
pend their  operation  with  any  good  result.  For 
example,  if  a  person  should  carelessly  or  wilfully 
violate  the  laws  of  health  and  become  sick,  they 
believe  that  his  best  interests  would  be  promoted 
rather  by  his  suffering  the  penalty,  and  so  becom- 
ing wiser,  than  by  its  being  removed  in  answer  to 
his  prayer. 

These  views  have  been  urged,  with  much  force 
and  clearness,  by  Mr.  Combe,  in  that  well-known 
work,  "  The  Constitution  of   Man  " ;  *    a  work 

*  See  Combe's  Constitution  of  Man,  Chap.  VI.  §  2,  and 
Chap.  IX.  Mr.  Combe  admits  that  the  moral  improvement 
of  man  is  one  object  of  the  arrangements  of  the  world,  but 
contends  that  the  evils  of  life  are  always  to  be  regarded  as 
punishments  for  violation  of  the  natural  laws,  and  not  as 
particular  manifestations  of  the  love  of  God  to  the  individ- 
ual. "  On  the  whole,  therefore,"  says  he,  "  no  adequate 
reason  appears  for  regarding  the  consequences  of  physical 
accidents  in  any  other  light  than  as  direct  punishments  for 
infringement  of  the  natural  laws,  and  indirectly  as  a  means 
of  accomplishing  moral  and  religious  improvement."  The 
whole  argument  excludes  all  that  we  have  called  Special  (or 


90        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

which  contains  much  that  is  true  and  good,  and 
the  chief  defect  of  which  is,  that,  while  it  asserts 
prudence,  it  rejects  Providence.  It  gives  us  a 
true,  but  one-sided,  view  of  the  world  and  of  life. 
Like  most  partial  systems,  it  is  inexhaustible  in 
explanation.  From  its  point  of  view  every  thing 
is  explained  ;  all  the  evils  of  life  find  a  solution. 
Only,  after  the  understanding  has  been  gratified 
by  the  crystal  clearness  of  this  stream  of  thought, 
there  is  some  deeper  instinct  which  grows  dissat- 
isfied with  its  shallowness.  Nothing  is  more  easy 
than  to  explain  all  the  most  difficult  problems  of 
the  universe,  provided  you  omit  to  notice  the  facts 
on  one  side  of  the  question.  This  book  of  Mr. 
Combe  has  had  immense  popularity  with  a  certain 
class  of  minds,  on  account  of  its  fertility  in  ex- 
planations, and  its  practical  wisdom.  To  great 
multitudes,  in  fact,  it  has  taken  the  place  of  the 
New  Testament,  as  the  guide  of  life.  A  useful 
book,  no  doubt,  on  the  whole,  but  one  the  defects 
of  which  should  be  pointed  out.  These  defects, 
as  far  as  we  are  now  concerned  with  them,  con- 
sist in  the  denial  of  Providence.    We  do  not  mean 

particular)  Providence.  As  regards  Prayer,  Mr.  Combe 
contends  that  its  efficacy  is  only  on  the  mind  of  the  suppli- 
cant, according  to  the  view  to  be  considered  by  us  further 
on. 


cobibe's  constitution  of  man.  91 

that  Mr.  Combe  denies  what  is  usually  called  Gen- 
eral Providence,  for  this  he  teaches  in  the  strong- 
est manner.  That  is,  he  teaches  that,  while  the 
universe  is  controlled  everywhere  by  laws,  these 
laws  have  always  a  benevolent  object.  They  are 
intended  to  do  good,  and  they  work  good  to  races 
and  classes  always,  though  individuals  are  some- 
times sacrificed  for  the  good  of  the  whole.  Thus, 
for  example,  it  is  a  law  of  God  that  fire  should 
burn  and  inflict  great  pain  on  the  human  body  if 
exposed  to  it,  and  this  is  for  the  advantage  of  men, 
inasmuch  as  the  pain  is  a  warning  to  them  to 
avoid  this  injury.  But  sometimes  it  happens  that 
an  individual  may,  without  any  fault,  be  seriously 
injured,  and  in  this  case,  according  to  Mr.  Combe, 
he  is  sacrificed  for  the  good  of  the  whole.  It  is 
something  which  cannot  be  helped,  for  such  ex- 
ceptions are  inevitable  in  the  working  of  all  gen- 
eral laws.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  a  General  Prov- 
idence. It  is  true  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  does 
not  satisfy  the  needs  of  the  religious  mind.  It 
does  not  accord  with  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  con- 
cerning the  fatherly  character  of  God,  and  his 
attention  to  details,  his  care  for  the  lowliest  indi- 
viduals, no  less  than  for  the  progress  of  the  whole. 
According  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  we  are  led  to 
believe  that  all  the  events  which  befall  us  have  a 


92        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

special  meaning,  and  a  special  value  for  ourselves. 
If  we  stop  where  Mr.  Combe  stops,  while  the  Di- 
vine benevolence  toward  the  race  is  maintained, 
the  fatherly  love  of  God  for  the  individual  is 
wholly  omitted.  Now  we  do  not  wish  to  deny 
the  General  Providence  asserted  by  Mr.  Combe. 
We  accept  his  whole  theory  on  its  positive  side, 
but  omit  its  negations.  For  we  have  learned  that 
the  errors  of  almost  every  theory  or  system  con- 
sist rather  in  what  it  rejects  than  in  what  it  asserts, 
rather  in  its  negations  than  its  positions.  In  other 
words,  the  chief  source  of  human  error  is  not  in 
the  perversity,  but  rather  in  the  limitations  of  the 
human  intellect.  One  mind  standing  in  a  certain 
position  sees  one  part  of  truth,  and  hastily  rejects 
that  part  which  from  his  present  position  he  is  un- 
able to  perceive.  Others,  standing  in  a  different 
place,  see  another  side  of  truth,  and  perhaps,  in 
asserting  it,  reject  as  hastily  as  the  first  that  seen 
by  others.  Thus,  if  we  could  add  together  the 
assertions  of  different  systems,  and  cancel  their 
negations,  we  should  come  nearer  to  a  perfect 
view  of  truth  than  in  any  other  way.  Thus,  in 
the  case  before  us,  Mr.  Combe  and  a  certain  class 
of  minds,  see  God  working  by  general  laws,  for 
the  good  of  the  whole.  Another  class  of  minds 
are  led   by  their  religious  instincts,  and  by  the 


GENERAL    AND    SPECIAL    PROVIDENCE.  9^ 

language  of  the  New  Testament,  to  see  God  as 
the  Friend  of  the  individual,  sending  special  bless- 
ings to  meet  special  occasions.  Is  there  any  rea- 
son why  these  views  should  not  be  united  ?  Are 
they  necessarily  inconsistent  with  each  other.? 
May  not  every  event  which  takes  place  flow  both 
from  general  providence,  and  also  from  particular 
providence,  being  in  accordance  with  laws  made 
for  the  good  of  the  whole,  and  yet  having  a  spe- 
cial meaning  and  value  for  the  individual.  Even 
a  wise,  kind  parent,  while  enforcing  laws  in  the 
family  necessary  for  the  comfort  of  the  household, 
is  able  also  to  make  them  operate  for  the  advan- 
tage of  the  individual  child.  How  much  more 
may  the  Infinitely  Wise  One  be  able  to  do  this  ! 
And  if  He  is  able  to  do  it,  certainly  He  must  wish 
to  do  it.  If  the  individual  is  ever  sacrificed,  in 
the  slightest  degree,  for  the  good  of  the  whole,  it 
must  be  because  the  Deity  cannot  help  it.  But 
the  possibility  of  such  a  union  of  good  to  the 
whole  and  good  to  the  individual  was  believed 
by  the  wise,  even  before  Jesus  taught  that  "not  a 
sparrow  falls  without  our  Father,"  and  that 
"  every  hair  "  of  our  head  '*  is  numbered."  While 
we  find  in  modern  times  one  class  contending 
that  all  events  happen  by  natural  laws,  and  that 
therefore    there    is  nothing  supernatural    about 


94   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

them,  and  another  class  contending  that  some 
events  have  a  supernatural  source,  and  therefore 
are  not  according  to  natural  laws,  the  wiser  an- 
cients were  willing  to  admit  that  events  could  be 
at  once  natural  and  supernatural.  Thus  Plutarch 
says  *  (speaking  of  those  who  were  ancients  and 
moderns  to  him) :  "  The  men  of  old  directed  their 
aliention  simply  to  the  divine  in  phenomena  ;  as 
God  is  the  beginning  and  centre  of  all,  and  from 
him  all  things  proceed  ;  and  they  overlooked  nat- 
ural causes.  The  moderns  turned  themselves 
wholly  away  from  that  divine  ground  of  things, 
and  supposed  every  thing  could  be  explained 
from  natural  causes.  Both  these  views  are,  how- 
ever, partial  and  defective,  and  the  right  under- 
standing of  the  matter  requires  that  both  should 
be  combined."  So  too  Hippocrates,!  a  contem- 
porary of  Socrates,  denied  the  discrepancy  be- 
tween the  natural  and  the  supernatural,  and  treat- 
ed all  phenomena  as  at  once  divine  and  also 
scientifically  determinable.  "  All  diseases,"  he 
says,  "  are  divine,  yet  each  has  its  own  physical 
condition.     All  are  from  God,  but  none  are  with- 


*  Quoted  in  Neanclcr's  Church  History  (Torrey's  trans 
lation),  Vol.  I.  p.  23. 

t  Quoted  by  Grote,  History  of  Greece,  Vol.  I.  p.  370 
(Boston  edition). 


NATURAL    AND    SUPERNATURAL.  95 

out   Nature."      Thus,   wiser   than   some   of  us, 
these  deep  thinkers  knew 

"  How  to  o'errule  the  hard  divorce, 
Which  parts  things  natural  and  divine." 

The  difficulty  thus  urged  as  an  objection  to  all 
special  providence  applies  with  equal  force  to 
any  real  answer  to  Prayer,  and  those  who  find 
difficulty  in  the  former  doctrine  will  find  an  equal 
difficulty  in  the  latter.  But  we  maintain  that  we 
may  believe  in  God  acting  through  natural  laws 
for  the  general  good  of  races,  and  also  in  God 
acting  supernaturally  in  the  sphere  of  Freedom 
for  the  special  needs  of  individuals.  When  it  is 
objected,  that  all  such  supernatural  action  implies 
a  miracle,  and  that  the  days  of  miracles  have 
ceased,  we  must  ask  in  turn  for  the  true  meaning 
of  a  miracle.  If  a  miracle  means  a  violation  or 
suspension  of  the  laws  of  nature,  then  there 
would  be  a  real  contradiction  between  the  Super- 
natural and  the  Natural,  and  belief  in  the  one 
would  so  far  nullify  belief  in  the  other.  But  if, 
as  the  better  theologians  of  all  schools  maintain, 
a  miracle  is  no  violation  of  a  law  of  nature,  but 
the  coming  in  of  a  new  force  from  a  higher 
sphere,  which,  while  the  old  force,  or  law,  works 
on,  controls  it  according  to  the  special  need,  then 


96        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

there  is  no  such  contradiction.  We  may  believe 
at  the  same  time  in  God's  natural  and  supernat- 
ural action.  We  may  believe  in  general  and 
special  providence.  We  may  believe  in  the  nat- 
ural laws  and  also  in  the  answer  to  Prayer.  For, 
according  to  this  view,  miracles  have  not  ceased, 
and  never  will  cease  until  the  God  of  Christian- 
ity abandons  the  world,  and  until  living  faith  is 
no  more  found  on  the  earth.  For  all  Christian 
life  is  supernatural,  flowing  from  a  higher  foun- 
tain than  any  on  earth.  It  is  a  life  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.  Therefore  Luther  contended  that 
the  true  miracle  of  Christianity  was  the  creation 
of  spiritual  life  in  the  human  soul,  compared  with 
which  such  outward  miracles  as  the  healing  of 
the  sick  and  walking  on  the  water  were  quite 
secondary  and  unimportant. 

If  we  suppose,  accordingly,  that  God  steadily 
maintains  the  order  of  the  universe  and  the  laws 
of  nature,  but  that  beside  this  he  continually 
sends  new  and  special  influences  into  the  world 
of  matter  and  of  mind  to  meet  the  rising  exigen- 
cies of  the  hour,  and  that  this  is  no  afterthought, 
but  part  of  the  great  plan  of  the  universe  from 
the  beginning,  the  conflict  between  the  Natural 
and  Supernatural  falls  to  the  ground.  That  God 
does  influence  the  world  from  a  realm  of  free- 


NATURAL    AND    SUPERNATURAL.  97 

dom  by  ever-new  creative  activity,  no  less  than 
from  a  realm  of  law,  is  not  only  asserted  by 
Christian  faith  and  needed  by  the  human  heart, 
but  is  demanded  by  the  deepest  philosophy. 
Thus  Hase,  a  most  clear-headed  thinker,  of  the 
latest  school  of  German  thought,  declares :  "  The 
government  of  a  world,  actuated  by  human  free- 
dom, is  only  possible  by  means  of  an  inworking 
of  Divine  freedom.  This  inworking  gives  us  the 
philosophical  notion  of  a  miracle,  which  there- 
fore can  only  be  denied  with  the  denial  of  Provi- 
dence itself"  *  And  if  we  believe  in  human 
freedom,  we  have  before  our  eyes  the  constant 
proof  that  the  Natural  can  coexist  and  cooperate 
with  the  Supernatural.  For  human  freedom  is 
in  the  strictest  sense  a  force  which  acts  within 
nature,  but  from  above  nature.  It  is  surrounded 
by  laws,  and  limited  externally  by  the  laws  of 
organization  and  circumstances,  but  it  cannot 
itself  be  brought  under  law.  Every  act  of  free- 
dom is  a  new  creation,  and  wholly  inexplicable. 
The  moment  that  you  explain  it  as  resulting 
from  any  thing  already  in  existence,  you  deny 
Freedom,  and  introduce  Necessity.  The  moment 
you  make  outward  motives  to  be  the  cause  of  our 

*  Hase,  Lehrbuch  der  Dogmaiik,  §  1 50. 
9 


98        THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

actions,  and  not  merely  the  occasions,  you  deny, 
so  far,  human  freedom.  If  this  view  be  true, 
then  every  human  being  is  himself  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  coexistence  and  harmony  of  the  Nat- 
ural and  the  Supernatural.  Part  of  his  life  is 
natural,  resulting  from  organic  tendencies,  deter- 
mined by  external  motives,  and  another  part  is 
supernatural,  the  reaction  of  the  free  will  and  the 
power  of  choice.  If  man,  therefore,  himself  can 
act  in  this  world  at  the  same  time  in  a  sphere  of 
Freedom  and  of  Law,  shall  we  deny  a  like  ca- 
pacity to  God,  and  limit  his  activity  to  the  sup- 
port of  existing  laws  ?  Much  rather  must  the 
adequate  view  of  the  Deity  suppose  in  Him  the 
perfect  harmony  and  absolute  synthesis  of  law 
and  freedom,  —  an  infinite,  creative  activity,  for 
ever  combined  with  an  unchanging  support  of  the 
never-failing  laws  of  the  universe. 

But  if,  after  all,  we  cannjot  fathom  the  depth  of 
this  mystery,  we  may  console  ourselves  by  such 
thoughts  as  these,  which  we  commend  to  our 
friends  for  their  refreshment :  — 

*        "  No  human  eves  Thy  face  may  see ; 

No  human  thought  Thy  form  may  know; 

But  all  creation  dwells  in  Thee, 

And  Thy  great  Life  through  all  doth  flow  I 


NATURAL    LAWS.  99 

"  And  yet,  0  strange  and  wondrous  thought ! 
Thou  art  a  God  who  hearest  prayer, 
And  every  heart  with  sorrow  fraught 
To  seek  thy  present  aid  may  dare. 

"  And  though  most  weak  our  efforts  seem 
Into  one  creed  these  thoughts  to  bind, 
And  vain  the  intellectual  dream 
To  see  and  know  the  Eternal  IVIind, — 

"  Yet  Thou  wilt  turn  them  not  aside 
Who  cannot  solve  Thy  life  divine, 
But  would  give  up  all  reason's  pride 
To  know  their  hearts  approved  by  Thine."  * 

The  objection,  that  it  is  better  for  us  always  to 
suffer  the  penalty  resuhing  from  an  infraction  of 
natural  laws,  than  to  have  this  penalty  removed 
in  answer  to  Prayer,  requires  a  moment's  consid- 
eration. True,  the  object  of  the  penalty  is  benev- 
olent, and  its  tendency  on  the  whole  is  beneficial. 
But  when  your  child  has  burned  himself,  do  you 
refuse  to  apply  alleviation  on  this  account  ?  Do 
you  think  it  better  that  he  should  suffer  the  pen- 
alty to  the  full  amount,  or  do  you  not  rather 
hasten  to  the  physician  for  relief.^     And  if  you 


*  These  beautiful  lines  first  appeared  in  the  "  Book  of 
Hymns,"  published  by  Ticknor  &  Co.,  Boston,  and  were 
written,  we  think,  by  Rev.  T.  W.  Higginson. 


100     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

know  or  believe  that  relief  can  also  be  obtained 
through  Prayer,  why  not  apply  for  it  ? 

§  20.     Psychological  Objections.     Human  Free- 
dom. 

The  next  supposed  objection  to  the  efficacy  of 
Prayer  which  we  have  to  consider,  is  that  derived 
from  the  fact  of  human  freedom.  This  objec- 
tion is  brought  against  any  influence  exerted  by 
God  directly  on  the  human  soul  in  answer  to 
Prayer.  It  is  argued,  that  such  influence  would 
interfere  with  human  liberty.  But  to  this  objec- 
tion there  are  two  replies.  First,  that  an  influ- 
ence exerted  on  the  soul  by  God  because  we 
have  asked  for  it,  is  of  course  an  influence  which 
we  ourselves  freely  choose  to  receive.  It  is  not 
given  against  our  will,  or  without  our  consent. 
How,  then,  can  it  interfere  with  our  freedom  ? 
And  secondly,  this  influence  is  not  to  be  consid- 
ered, in  any  case,  as  compulsory.  No  Divine 
influence  is  irresistible  ;  no  such  influence  para- 
lyzes the  soul,  or  moves  it,  as  a  material  sub- 
stance is  moved  by  an  outward  force.  We  are 
not  controlled  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Jesuit 
was  by  his  rule  to  be  controlled  by  his  superior, 
—  blindly,  passively,  like  a  corpse.  All  Divine 
influence  rouses,  rather  than  represses,  the  ac- 


INFLUENCES.  101 

tivity  of  the  soul,  develops  its  individuality,  quick- 
ens its  freedom.  And  do  we  not  see  that  the  law 
of  influence  is  universal  ?  Every  man  whom  we 
meet  influences  us,  and  we  him.  No  one  speaks 
to  us,  or  even  looks  at  us,  but  there  is  an  influ- 
ence for  good  or  evil  exerted  by  his  character 
upon  ours.  His  character,  or  his  transient  mood, 
acts  immediately  upon  ours.  It  expresses  itself, 
not  only  in  his  words  and  actions,  but  in  the  tone 
of  his  voice  and  the  expression  of  his  eye.  A 
serious,  earnest  man,  a  generous,  kindly  man,  a 
truthful  and  sincere  man,  expresses  these  quali- 
ties by  his  whole  manner  and  demeanor.  Light 
flows  from  him,  sunny  light,  to  illuminate  and 
cheer  his  whole  horizon.  In  like  manner,  a 
worldly  man,  a  sensualist,  a  selfish,  hard-hearted 
man,  one  who  habitually  sneers  at  every  thing 
noble  and  pure,  rays  out  darkness  like  the  wan- 
dering stars  of  the  Apostle.  Thus  influence  goes 
from  us,  falls  from  us  with  every  word  we  speak, 
with  every  breath  we  draw.  The  orator  is  ad- 
dressing an  audience  of  a  thousand  persons,  and 
he  sees  some  one  coming  in  whose  opinions  and 
feelings  he  is  acquainted  with,  and  the  presence 
of  that  single  person  modifies  a  little  what  he  is 
about  to  say,  or  his  manner  of  saying  it.  Thus 
are  we  surrounded  from  childhood  to  the  grave 
9* 


102     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

by  influences,  for  good  or  evil  perpetually  acting 
upon  us,  not  irresistible  indeed,  but  inevitable  ; 
and  since  every  thing  else  thus  influences  us, 
shall  God  be  the  only  being  whose  influence  must 
be  excluded  ?  Shall  He  exert  no  influence  upon 
the  souls  of  his  children,  to  turn  them  from  evil 
or  lead  them  to  good  ?  Shall  we  fear  that  his  in- 
fluence, exerted  in  answer  to  Prayer,  will  inter- 
fere with  our  freedom,  when  our  freedom  remains 
to  us  in  spite  of  all  this  ocean  of  influence  flow- 
ing over  us  from  every  quarter  and  at  every 
moment  ? 

§  21.     Transcendental  Objections. 

There  is  also  a  spiritual  philosophy,  which,  by 
its  view  of  God  and  of  man,  tends  to  a  distrust 
in  the  efficacy  of  Prayer.  Its  view  of  God  tends 
to  Pantheism,  its  view  of  Man  to  Stoicism.  It 
rejects  from  its  idea  of  God  the  element  of  per- 
sonality, and  regards  him  rather  as  essential  Be- 
ing and  the  most  abstract  Spirit  than  as  a  per- 
sonal Father.  It  fears  to  degrade  God  by  making 
him  too  much  like  ourselves,  and  shrinks  from 
direct  communion  with  him,  as  implying  anthro- 
pomorphism. It  dreads  lest  the  pure  and  spiritual 
idea  of  God  should  be  degraded  by  being  mixed 
up  with  low  desires  and  earthly  cares.     Its  wor- 


TRANSCENDENTAL    OBJECTIONS.  103 

ship  is  adoration  and  submission,  rather  than  sup- 
plication ;  and  its  view  of  man  is  also  opposed  to 
any  expectation  of  an  answer  to  Prayer.  Man, 
according  to  this  philosophy,  stands  in  the  midst 
of  the  mighty  and  relentless  forces  of  Nature,  to 
make  himself  strong  by  patience,  resolution,  and 
unflinching  fortitude.  The  wheels  of  Nature 
thunder  on  along  their  fixed  path  from  century  to 
century,  and  he  who  falls  on  them  is  broken 
J^£^  while  himiwhom  they  strike  down  is  ground  to 
powder.  It  is  of  no  use  to  ask  for  mercy,  for  Na- 
ture gives  no  quarter.  Her  face,  full  of  stony 
beauty,  looks  out  relentless,  with  features  un- 
changing as  those  of  the  Egyptian  Sphinx.  Man 
can  only  triumph  over  Fate  by  knowing  it  and 
bearing  it.  When  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
acquiesce  in  events  as  they  come,  in  things  as 
they  are,  he  has  secured  the  highest  moral  tri- 
umph. It  is  easy  to  see  how  inevitably  such  a 
view  of  God,  and  such  a  tlieoiy  of  man  and  of 
human  life,  must  tend  to  check  all  earnest  prayer. 
In  opposition  to  this  view  of  life,  so  beautiful 
but  so  cold,  we  present  the  attitude  assumed  by 
Jesus  toward  God  and  toward  life.  He  who  said 
to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  "  God  is  Spirit,"  also 
taught  his  disciples  to  say,  "  Our  Father."  He 
who  made  it  the  centre  of  all  supplication  to  pray 


104     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

that  God's  will  should  be  done  on  earth  as  in 
heaven,  taught  us  in  the  next  petition  to  ask  for 
our  daily  bread.  He  who  demanded,  in  view  of 
the  great  emergencies  and  risks  of  life,  a  readi- 
ness for  entire  self-renunciation  as  the  first  con- 
dhion  of  discipleship,  nevertheless  encouraged  his 
followers  to  bring  every  desire  of  their  heart  be- 
fore God.  As  the  entrance  fee  into  his  school, 
he  demanded  that  they  should  be  ready  to  hate 
father  and  mother,  to  give  all  their  wealth  away, 
to  leave  every  thing,  and  to  take  up  their  cross. 
But  having  been  found  equal  to  this  test,  he  laid 
on  them  no  ascetic  discipline,  took  them  not 
away  from  the  common  scenes  of  life,  and  lived 
with  them  in  cheerful  communion  with  God  and 
man.  God  was  to  him  always  the  nearest  friend  ; 
and  life  was  no  fatal  web,  but  a  scene  where, 
amid  the  steady  operation  of  divine  laws,  there 
was  still  the  freest  scope  for  divine  and  human 
freedom.  We  conceive  that  it  is  only  necessary 
to  compare  these  two  views  of  God  and  Nature, 
to  see  how  much  more  large  and  human  that  of 
Christ  is  than  the  spiritual  Stoicism  we  have  been 
considering. 


PKAYER   A    REACTION.  105 

^  22.    Prayer  a  Reaction.  —  Ohjections  to  this 
Theory. 

To  evade  these  supposed  difficulties,  two  theo- 
ries have  been  veiy  generally  adopted  in  refer- 
ence to  Prayer,  which  we  will  proceed  to  con- 
sider. The  first  denies  all  real  influence  from 
Prayer,  except  upon  the  soul  itself  in  the  way  of 
reaction.  It  is  supposed  that  the  only  benefit  of 
Prayer  is  the  eflfect  which  it  exerts  upon  the 
mind  of  the  supplicant  by  its  natural  reaction. 
When  he  prays,  his  prayer  afiects  himself,  and 
not  God.  He  asks  for  humility,  and  in  the  very 
act  of  asking  makes  himself  humble.  He  asks 
for  submission,  and  so  puts  himself  into  a  sub- 
missive state  of  mind.  According  to  this  view, 
if  we  ask  for  any  outward  mercy,  it  must  be  in 
the  most  general  terms,  and  then  merely  to  cre- 
ate in  our  own  minds  confidence  in  the  providen- 
tial care  of  God.  If  we  intercede  for  others,  it 
is  merely  to  create  in  our  own  hearts  feelings  of 
sympathy  and  good-will  towards  them.  Thus,  a 
Doctor  of  Divinity  and  Professor  of  Theology  in 
the  College  of  Glasgow  writes,  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century  :  "  God  is  not  wrought  upon  and 
changed  by  our  prayers.  Prayer  only  works  its 
effect  upon  us  as  if  contributes  to  change  the 


106     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

temper  of  our  minds,  to  beget  or  improve  right 
dispositions  in  them,"  &c.  The  writer,  being 
accused  of  heresy  for  these  views,  was  con- 
demned by  the  Presbytery.  He  appealed  to  the 
Synod,  and  was  acquitted,  and  the  General  As- 
sembly refused  to  alter  the  judgment  of  the  Syn- 
od. The  same  view  is  taught  by  Dr.  Blair,  who 
says :  "  The  change  which  our  devotions  are  in- 
tended to  make  is  upon  ourselves,  not  upon  the 
Almighty.  Their  chief  efficacy  is  derived  from 
the  good  dispositions  which  they  raise  and  cher- 
ish in  the  human  soul,"  &;c.  So  Lord  Kames 
writes :  "  The  Being  that  made  the  world  gov- 
erns it  by  laws  that  are  inflexible,  because  they 
are  the  best ;  and  to  imagine  that  he  can  be 
moved  by  prayers,  oblations,  or  sacrifices  to  vary 
his  plan  of  government,  is  an  impious  thought, 
degrading  the  Deity  to  a  level  with  ourselves." 
His  reason  for  prayer  is,  that  it  cultivates,  by 
exercise,  a  devout  habit  of  mind,  and  tends  to 
purify  it.  Now  there  is  nothing  untrue  in  any 
of  these  statements  in  what  they  assert.  It  is 
true  that  prayer  itself  exercises  a  wholesome  in- 
fluence on  the  mind.  He  who  prays  opens  his 
heart  to  God,  and  so  is  made  ready  to  receive 
spiritual  influences.  But  to  make  ourselves  ready 
and  fit  to  receive  an  influence  is  a  different  thing 


PRAYER  ONLY  A  REACTION.        107 

from  giving  this  influence  to  ourselves.  Prayer 
opens  the  heart  to  God ;  and  when  the  heart  is 
open,  God  will  come  in.  But  the  opening  of  the 
door  is  one  thing,  and  the  entrance  of  the  guest 
another. 

One  objection  to  this  view  of  Prayer  is,  that  it 
was  not  that  of  Jesus.  His  language  plainly 
teaches,  not  that  by  assuming  the  attitude  of 
prayer  we  shall  magnetize  our  own  mind,  but 
that,  if  we  pray,  God  will  give,  in  consequence  of 
our  prayer,  that  which  he  would  not  give,  or 
might  not  give,  otherwise.  And  it  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent thing,  as  regards  the  character  of  the  pray- 
er itself,  which  of  these  views  we  adopt.  If  we 
take  the  view  of  Jesus,  we  shall  feel  ourselves 
really  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  shall  be  ex- 
pecting to  receive  an  influence  from  Him  in  our 
soul.  If  we  adopt  the  other  view,  we  shall  feel 
that  we  are  alone  with  ourselves,  and  shall  be 
endeavoring  to  exert  a  beneficial  influence  on  our 
own  minds. 

I  think  it  is  evident,  that,  with  this  view  of 
Prayer,  the  tendency  would  be  to  discontinue  it. 
Sincere  and  truthful  men  would  find  it  hard  to 
assume  the  appearance  of  asking  God  for  that 
which,  in  reality,  they  expected  to  procure  for 
themselves.     They  would  find,  or  feel,  a  certain 


108     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

insincerity  in  such  a  course.  The  natural  method 
with  such  a  view  of  self-improvement  would  be 
meditation  rather  than  prayer.  We  believe  that, 
wherever  these  views  have  prevailed,  they  have 
had  such  an  influence.  Men  holding  such  views 
may  indeed  continue  to  pray  from  the  natural 
instinct  of  the  human  heart,  but  all  that  energy 
will  be  taken  out  of  prayer  which  comes  from 
belief  in  its  real  efficiency  to  obtain  from  God 
what  we  need. 

This  theory  of  Prayer  is  founded  by  the  writers 
above  quoted  on  two  ideas.  First,  that  prayer 
cannot  produce  any  effect  upon  God ;  and  second, 
that  it  cannot  induce  him  to  change  his  plans. 
But  what  reason  have  we  to  say  that  prayer  can- 
not affect  God.  Is  the  Divine  nature  such  that  it 
is  destitute  of  sympathy,  or  does  the  perfection 
of  God  consist  in  not  being  moved  to  feeling  by 
the  earnest  cry  of  his  child  ?  Such  is  not  the 
view  given  in  the  New  Testament  of  the  Deity, 
and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  Divine 
nature,  in  its  infinite  grandeur  and  glory,  is  not 
cold  or  insusceptible,  but,  far  more  than  ours,  is 
capable  of  being  moved  by  the  emotions  even  of 
the  lowest  of  his  creatures.  As  regards  the  other 
idea,  it  is  true  that  our  prayers  will  not  induce 
God  to  change  his  plans ;  but  it  may  be  a  part  of 


PRAYER    FOR    SPIRITUAL    BLESSINGS.  109 

his  plan  to  give  us  when  we  ask  that  which  he 
would  not  otherwise  bestow.  And  if  this  be  a 
part  of  God's  plan,  then  his  immutability  requires 
that  he  should  change  his  course  of  conduct 
towards  us  because  we  pray.  He  adheres  to  his 
plan,  by  yielding  to  our  prayer. 

§  23.   Prayer  sJiouId  ie  only  for  Spiritual  Bless- 
ings.— Objections  to  this  View. 

The  other  theory  of  Prayer,  which  many  have 
adopted  to  escape  supposed  difficulties,  is  that 
which  makes  it  proper  only  to  ask  for  spiritual 
blessings,  and  not  for  temporal.  Or,  if  we  ask  at 
all  for  temporal  things,  for  outward  mercies  for 
ourselves  or  others,  it  should  be,  according  to  this 
theory,  in  the  most  general  terms,  and  not  with 
the  expectation  of  really  obtaining  them  by  means 
of  our  prayer.  This  view  is  supported  by  many 
considerations.  It  is  said  that  Jesus,  where  he 
promises  that  if  we  ask  we  shall  receive,  is  speak- 
ing of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit, — that  is,  of 
spiritual  blessings,  and  not  of  temporal.  It  is 
urged  that  we  may  ask  in  faith  for  purity,  for 
love,  for  strength  to  resist  evil,  because  we  know 
that  these  are  good  for  us,  but  that  we  cannot 
know,  in  regard  to  any  temporal  blessing,  whether 
it  is  really  a  blessing  or  not.     It  is  argued,  that  to 

10 


110     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ask  God  for  outward  things  is  a  selfish  and  there- 
fore not  a  Christian  prayer,  and  that  it  is  opposed 
to  that  trust  in  God  which  Jesus  enjoins,  when  he 
says,  "  Take  no  thought  for  your  Hfe  what  ye 
shall  eat,  nor  yet  for  your  body  what  ye  shall  put 
on  ;  for  your  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need 
of  these  things."  It  is  also  argued  that  such  a 
view  of  Prayer  is  too  calculating,  and  not  suffi- 
ciently spontaneous. 

To  these  objections  we  reply,  that,  though  Jesus 
speaks  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Luke  xi.  13,  he  uses 
a  more  general  expression  in  Matt.  vii.  11,  and 
that  he  both  taught  and  showed,  by  his  own  ex- 
ample, at  other  times,  that  it  was  right  also  to  pray 
for  temporal  needs.  The  Apostles  sought  help 
from  God,  and  found  it,  in  their  outward  necessi- 
ties, and  taught,  even  when  laying  the  most  stress 
upon  works,  that  prayer  also  for  the  sick  would 
effect  their  cure.  It  is  true  that  we  never  can  be 
sure  that  it  is  best  for  us  to  receive  any  temporal 
enjoyment,  and  therefore  we  ought  always  to 
pray,  as  Jesus  prayed,  submissively  ;  asking  that 
God's  will,  and  not  our  will,  should  be  done.  But 
we  see  by  the  example  of  Jesus  in  the  Garden, 
that  a  submissive  prayer  for  outward  things  may 
be  also  a  veiy  earnest  prayer.  It  may  be  that  it 
would  be  an  injury  to  us,  and  not  an  advantage,  to 


SPIRITUAL    AND    TEMPORAL    BLESSINGS.      Ill 

obtain  that  for  which  we  ask,  and  then  if  we  ask 
in  submission  to  God's  wisdom  and  will,  we  shall 
not  be  cursed  with  an  answered  prayer.  But  it 
may  be,  on  the  other  hand,  that  what  we  ask  for 
is  something  that  it  would  be  really  good  for  us 
to  receive  in  answer  to  prayer,  —  something  which 
God  means  that  we  should  obtain  by  praying,  — 
something  which,  thus  obtained,  will  bring  the 
soul  nearer  to  him  by  its  gratitude.  So  that  there 
is  danger  on  both  sides  ;  on  one  side  danger  of 
asking  for  something  which  we  ought  not  to  have, 
on  the  other  side,  danger  of  not  receiving  what 
would  be  good  for  us  because  we  omit  to  ask  for 
it.  As  the  Apostle  says,  "  Ye  have  not  because 
ye  ask  not."  (James  iv.  2.)  The  only  way  of  es- 
caping both  dangers  is  by  asking  earnestly,  but 
submissively,  for  every  thing  which  we  think  we 
need.  And  perhaps  we  may  say,  that  we  cannot 
be  always  certain  that  it  is  best  for  us  to  receive 
any  particular  spiritual  blessing.  Law,  in  his 
"  Spirit  of  Prayer,"  has  a  fine  passage,  in  which 
he  argues  that,  though  raptures  of  piety  are 
often  good  for  the  soul,  seasons  of  coldness  and 
spiritual  desolation  may  also  be  often  good,  and 
even  better  for  the  soul  than  the  other,  as  produ- 
cing a  more  entire  dependence  on  God  than  could 
otherwise  be  obtained.    The  same  thing  also  may 


112  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

be  intended  by  the  Apostle  where  he  speaks  of 
some  temptation  in  the  flesh  (Gal.  iv.  14),' which 
seems  to  have  been  the  evil  from  which  he  prayed 
thrice  to  be  delivered,  but  had  the  answer,  that 
God's  strength  was  made  perfect  in  his  weakness. 
Therefore,  if  the  fact  that  we  know  not  whether 
any  outward  event  may  be  really  good  for  us  to 
receive  is  a  reason  for  not  asking,  the  same  rea- 
son may  be  urged  against  asking  for  any  particu- 
lar spiritual  thing.  As  regards  the  selfishness  of 
such  prayers,  we  may  reply,  that  it  is  certainly 
wrong  to  ask  either  for  temporal  or  spiritual 
things  selfishly  ;  and  as  wrong  in  the  latter  case 
as  in  the  former.  To  pray  simply  for  our  own 
sake  to  be  saved  from  spiritual  evil,  is  no  more  a 
Christian  prayer,  than  to  pray  in  the  same  manner 
to  be  saved  from  temporal  evil.  In  both  cases, 
the  prayer  beginning  with  the  selfish  need  rises 
above  it  and  goes  beyond  it.  It  asks  for  spiritual 
or  for  temporal  good,  for  health  of  soul  or  health 
of  body,  in  order  to  use  them  in  the  service  of 
Christ  and  of  man.  And  in  both  cases  the  prayer 
has  the  effect  of  lifting  us  out  of  that  selfishness 
from  which  it  began.  And  therefore  we  are  not 
more  selfish  because  we  express  these  desires  and 
needs  to  God,  but  less  so.  The  selfish  desire  we 
have.     The  question  is,  whether  we  shall  let  it 


PRAYER    FOR    TEMPORAL    THINGS.  113 

remain  in  the  soul  as  a  selfish  wish,  or,  by  ex- 
pressing it  to  God,  have  it  changed  into  a  Chris- 
tian, that  is,  a  generous  prayer.  The  objection, 
that  to  pray  for  temporal  things  is  inconsistent 
with  the  command  of  Christ  to  take  no  thought 
concerning  them  because  God  knows  that  we  have 
need  of  all  these  things,  falls  to  the  ground  when 
we  look  at  the  meaning  and  reason  of  this  com- 
mand. The  meaning  is,  that  we  are  not  to  be 
anxious  concerning  outward  things.  And  this  is 
also  true  of  spiritual  things  ;  for  anxiety  is  as  in- 
jurious in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  The 
command  is  to  trust  in  God,  and  certainly  Chris- 
tianity requires  us  to  trust  in  God  with  regard  to 
the  needs  of  the  soul,  no  less  than  with  regard  to 
the  needs  of  the  body.  The  reason  given  is,  that 
our  Father  knows  that  we  have  need  of  all  these 
things  ;  and  certainly  he  knows  also  that  we  have 
need  of  spiritual  things.  This  command,  there- 
fore, cannot  establish  a  distinction  between  out- 
ward and  inward  blessings,  so  as  to  make  it  prop- 
er to  pray  for  these,  and  not  for  those.  And  as 
regards  the  other  objection,  that  Prayer  wo'ild  be- 
come a  matter  of  calculation,  and  that  this  view 
is  a  utilitarian  view,  making  it  a  contrivance  for 
obtaining  what  we  want,  we  would  reply  only, 
that,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  a  large  part  of  life 

10* 


114  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

must  belong  to  the  sphere  of  prudence,  if  another 
part  belongs  to  that  of  spontaneity  ;  and  that 
therefore  the  question  merely  is  whether  this  cal- 
culating part  of  life  shall  or  shall  not  be  excluded 
from  the  domain  of  Prayer. 

Here,  in  fact,  is  the  reason  of  prayer  for  tem- 
poral things.  A  large  part  of  our  life  is  necessa- 
rily occupied  with  them.  God  has  made  it  so, 
and  it  is  right  that  it  should  be  so.  He  has  so 
made  us  that  we  should  be  filled  with  an  ardent 
interest  in  the  persons  and  the  events  which  sur- 
round us  in  life.  He  has  enjoined  no  stoical  in- 
difference in  regard  to  them.  The  Earth,  full  of 
beauty,  full  of  wonder,  was  meant  to  interest  the 
human  soul,  and  draw  out  its  faculties.  Society, 
friendship,  and  love,  all  family  affections,  all  so- 
cial and  national  interests,  were  divinely  bestowed 
upon  man.  Since,  therefore,  God  has  so  made 
us  that  we  must  feel  interested  in  these  things, 
and  means  that  we  shall  be  interested  in  them, 
the  question  is.  Shall  we  bring  these  interests  to 
him  or  not  ?  Shall  we  ask  his  sympathy  and 
help  in  regard  to  them,  or  not.  If  not,  then  how 
large  a  part  of  the  love,  the  wish,  the  purpose  of 
the  soul,  which  is  its  life,  is  shut  out  from  God  ! 
How  much  of  life  is  thereby  desecrated  and 
made  unchristian  !     This  view  of  Prayer  is,  in 


PRAYER    FOR   TEBIPORAL    THINGS.  115 

fact,  only  the  reappearance  in  a  new  form  of  that 
idea  of  Christianity  which  divorced  it  from  life, 
making  one  holy  and  the  other  profane.  It  is 
the  same  pernicious  view  which  has  taken  relig- 
ion out  of  week-days  and  confined  it  to  Sundays, 
—  out  of  the  shop  and  street  and  shut  it  in  the 
church,  —  out  of  the  world  of  acting,  loving,  suf- 
fering man,  and  placed  it  in  the  small  conventi- 
cle, the  narrow  sect.  But  Christ,  when  on  earth, 
utterly  discountenanced  this  view.  He  was  pres- 
ent then  at  the  marriage-feast,  at  the  house  of 
the  publican,  conversing  with  the  sinners,  and 
why  not  now  ?  Then  they  prayed  to  him  for 
help  in  outward,  temporal  necessities,  and  why 
not  ask  help  in  the  same  necessities  now  .''  Then 
he  praised  the  faith  of  those  who  asked  such 
temporal  aid.  Was  it  praiseworthy  then  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Divine  Power  would  be  exerted  to 
cure  disease,  and  is  it  wrong  to  believe  it  now  ? 
While  answering  such  prayers  and  meeting  such 
necessities  of  the  present  life,  Jesus  raised  the 
thoughts  of  those  whom  he  helped  to  higher  ne- 
cessities and  higher  blessings,  and  would  not  a 
like  result  obtain  still .? 


116 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   PRAYER. 

§  24.     General  Remarks. 

Having  thus  considered  the  doctrine  of  the 
New  Testament  concerning  Prayer,  and  ex- 
amined the  chief  difficulties  and  objections,  we 
pass  on  to  consider  the  conditions  and  helps. 
Mental  difficulties  having  been  removed,  moral 
difficulties  present  themselves,  lying,  perhaps,  far 
deeper.  For  the  moral  preparation  for  prayer  is 
more  important  than  the  intellectual  preparation, 
and  after  all  intellectual  difficulties  have  been  re- 
moved, greater  difficulties  may  remain,  arising 
from  the  state  of  the  heart  and  the  purposes. 
For  it  is  evident  that,  if  the  prayer  is  to  be  any 
thing  more  than  an  outward  form,  it  must  be  the 
expression  of  some  real  want.  Every  one  knows 
that  to  say  our  prayers  is  not  to  pray  ;  that  words 
without  thoughts  never  to  heaven  go.  But  it  is 
not  as  often  understood,  that  thoughts  without  af- 


MORAL    PREPARATION.  117 

fections  are  equally  far  from  constituting  a  true 
prayer.  We  are  very  apt  to  confound  an  intel- 
lectual approbation  of  goodness  with  the  desire 
for  goodness.  We  ask  for  that  which  our  con- 
science and  moral  sense  teach  us  that  we  ought 
to  pray  for,  and  are  satisfied  with  this,  as  though 
we  had  really  prayed.  But  it  is  one  thing  to  see 
what  we  ought  to  wish,  and  another  thing  to  wish 
for  it.  To  confound  the  two  is  to  mistake  the 
preparation  of  prayer  for  prayer  itself.  To 
meditate  upon  our  wants,  our  sins,  our  occasions 
of  gratitude,  is  a  very  good  preparation  for  prayer, 
but  it  is  not  till  meditation  becomes  affection  that 
prayer  really  begins.  But  there  is  a  still  more 
subtle  self-deception,  which  needs  to  be  guarded 
against.  We  are  often  in  danger  of  mistaking 
sentimental  prayer  for  the  prayer  of  conviction, 
faith,  and  love.  There  is  in  man  a  natural  senti- 
ment of  religion,  a  feeling  of  reverence,  which 
is  more  or  less  easily  roused  according  to  his  or- 
ganization. This  also  forms  a  good  preparation 
for  prayer  and  for  the  religious  life.  But  these 
sentiments  will  not,  by  themselves,  constitute 
Christian  prayer.  They  are  too  much  on  the 
surface  of  the  mind.  They  are  too  much  mere 
emotion.  They  do  not  permanently  connect 
themselves  with  the  character.     The  true  prayer, 


118  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

as  we  have  seen,  the  only  real  Christian  prayer, 
the  only  efficient  prayer,  the  only  prayer  worth 
praying,  is  not  the  prayer  of  form,  but  of  faith  ; 
not  the  prayer  of  the  intellect,  but  of  the  heart ; 
not  flowing  from  a  transient  emotion,  but  from  a 
permanent  purpose  ;  not  originating  in  the  senti- 
ment of  veneration,  but  in  the  Christian  aim  of 
life.  How  important,  then,  for  true  prayer  is  its 
preparation,  and  especially  its  moral  preparation. 
All  the  difficulty  lies  here.  The  preparation  for 
prayer  being  made,  prayer  itself  comes  sponta- 
neously. No  one  need  ever  try  to  pray,  for 
prayer  is  a  free  movement  of  the  soul ;  but  we 
may  and  must  exert  ourselves  in  making  the 
moral  preparation,  and  removing  the  moral  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  prayer.  Therefore,  medi- 
tation and  self-examination  are  always  requisite 
as  helps  to  prayer.  The  object  of  self-examina- 
tion is  to  test  our  purposes  and  our  desires  ;  to 
see  where  we  are  and  which  way  we  are  going, 
to  deepen  our  convictions  in  regard  to  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  the  eternal  world.  And  more 
particularly  as  we  have  seen  that  three  things  are 
necessary  to  Christian  prayer,  —  spirit,  truth,  and 
faith,  —  it  is  the  object  of  our  meditation  to  pre- 
pare ourselves  as  regards  each  of  these  essential 
elements  of  prayer. 


ORGANIC    PREPARATIONS.  119 

§  25.     Organic  and  Psychologic  Preparations. 

Some  years  since,  when  the  writer  of  this  essay- 
resided  in  a  Western  city,  a  distinguished  Phre- 
nologist visited  the  place,  and  made  an  examina- 
tion of  the  heads  of  six  Protestant  clergymen.  He 
pronounced  them  all  deficient  in  the  organ  of  Rev- 
erence or  Veneration,  said  they  had  no  devotional 
tendencies  by  nature,  and  added,  that  they  ought 
not,  any  of  them,  to  have  become  clergymen. 
And,  what  is  more  remarkable,  all  of  these  six 
clergymen  admitted  the  correctness  of  his  ob- 
servation. They  all  declared  it  to  be  true  that 
they  had  no  special  devotional  or  religious  ten- 
dencies by  nature,  and  that  their  religion  had 
come  to  them,  not  in  the  way  of  development,  but 
in  that  of  crisis.  As  one  of  these  clergymen, 
however,  while  admitting  the  fact  as  regarded 
myself,  I  denied  the  inference.  For  I  believed 
that  a  person  might  be  as  well  fitted  for  the  office 
of  a  clergyman,  whose  religion  was  a  matter  of 
experience  and  conviction,  —  born  out  of  the 
struggles  of  life,  out  of  self-conflict  and  earnest 
endeavor,  —  as  if  it  had  grown  up  out  of  a  large 
organic  tendency.  More  so,  perhaps  ;  for  such  a 
man  would  be  better  qualified  to  meet  the  needs 
of  others,  who   had   felt  in  himself,   in  distinct 


120     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

throes  of  consciousness,  the  birth  of  the  religious 
Hfe,  than  if  it  had  come  to  him  as  a  special  gift 
of  nature. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  certain  that  there  are  or- 
ganic and  psychological  preparations  for  prayer, 
which  differ  in  eveiy  individual.  Over  these  he 
has  no  power,  and  for  the  possession  or  absence 
of  these  he  is  not  responsible.  It  is  desirable 
that  this  should  be  understood,  for  many  persons 
torment  themselves  needlessly,  because  they  do 
not  find  in  themselves  the  same  devotional  ten- 
dencies which  they  observe  in  others.  On  the 
other  hand,  those  in  whom  the  devotional  senti- 
ment is  in  surplus  by  natural  endowment  may 
be  contented  to  rest  therein,  and  so  make  of 
prayer  a  purely  sentimental  exercise  and  enjoy- 
ment. To  avoid  these  errors,  we  must  learn  to 
distinguish  between  the  glow  of  the  organic  ten- 
dency, the  warmth  of  the  sentiment,  on  one  hand, 
and  the  earnestness  which  is  given  to  prayer  by 
conviction,  purpose,  and  the  stress  of  life.  The 
organic  tendency  is  a  beautiful  one,  and  if  we 
possess  it  largely,  is  one  for  which  we  ought  to 
be  profoundly  grateful.  It  leads  us  to  look  up- 
ward toward  that  which  is  above  us,  —  leads  us 
to  reverence  parents,  superiors,  heroes,  saints, 
men  of  genius  and  greatness,  men  of  virtue,  — 


ORGANIC    PREPARATIONS.  121 

and  finally  to  adore  and  worship  the  Most  High, 
and  to  find  happiness  therein.  This  sentiment  is 
the  crown  of  the  moral  nature  ;  it  gives  harmony 
to  the  whole  character,  —  eliminates  all  that  is  ab- 
rupt, harsh,  coarse,  and  low ;  by  giving  humility 
it  gives  dignity,  for  it  is  a  law  of  nature  that  those 
who  humble  themselves  are  exalted.  This  senti- 
ment causes  one  to  take  pleasure  in  prayer,  espe- 
cially in  that  part  of  prayer  which  consists  in 
adoration.  As  those  who  have  much  of  this  ex- 
quisite sentiment  enjoy  the  sight,  thought,  and 
presence  of  venerable  men,  —  love  to  be  with  the 
old,  the  wise,  the  honorable,  —  so  they  love  to  be 
in  the  presence  of  God.  A  tone  of  fair  humili- 
ty, of  beautiful  up-looking,  pervades  their  pray- 
ers. But  this  action  of  this  sentiment  does  not 
constitute  the  essence  of  prayer,  nor  give  its  sub- 
stance ;  it  only  makes  at  most  its  element  and 
sphere.  It  is  a  preparation  for  prayer,  —  leading 
us  to  recognize  gladly  God's  presence,  and  open- 
ing the  soul  to  meet  him.  But  we  may  be  glad 
to  be  in  a  person's  presence,  when  we  have 
nothing  to  say  to  him.  And  if  we  have  nothing 
to  say  to  him,  we  cannot  have  communion  with 
him,  —  there  is  no  real  intercourse.  We  may  talk 
to  him,  and  look  at  him,  and  love  to  contemplate 
his  face,  and  study  his    character ;    but  this  is 


122     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

only  a  preparation  for  intercourse,  it  is  not  inter- 
course itself.  Some  person  who  never  saw  him 
before,  and  who  has  not  half  the  regard  for  him 
or  respect  which  we  have,  may  come  to  him  on 
important  business,  and  have  a  real  intercourse 
with  him,  which  we  have  never  had. 

It  is  necessary  to  understand  this  distinction 
between  the  prayer  of  natural  sentiment,  and  the 
prayer  of  conviction,  in  order  that  those  who  are 
deficient  in  this  beautiful  tendency  may  not  be 
discouraged  thereby,  and  those  who  possess  it  not 
unduly  self-satisfied.  If  we  are  thus  endowed, 
we  may  be  thankful  for  the  gift,  and  find  it  a 
preparation  for  intercourse  with  the  Heavenly 
Father.  But  if  we  are  not  thus  endowed,  it  does 
not  follow  that  we  cannot  pray,  nor  even  that  we 
cannot  pray  with  depth  and  power.  Conviction, 
purpose,  a  right  direction  of  heart  and  life,  will 
make  our  prayers  genuine  and  joyful ;  though 
the  natural  sensibility  which  we  observe  in  others 
is  wanting. 

But  there  are  other  organic  faculties  beside 
this  tendency  to  adoration  and  reverence,  which- 
make  a  preparation  for  prayer.  There  are  also 
tendencies  to  Hope  and  to  Fear,  the  sense  of 
Beauty  and  of  Rectitude,  and  perhaps  other  powers 
and  sensibilities  which  belong  to  the  original  en- 


ORGANIC    PREPAKATIONS.  123 

dowments  of  the  individual.  When  these,  or 
either  of  these,  are  in  large  proportion,  we  can 
easily  trace  their  influence  in  the  devotional 
character.  Hope  gives  confidence  to  prayer, 
causes  it  to  rise  joyfully  to  heaven.  Fear  makes 
prayer  more  urgent,  more  clinging  and  persever- 
ing. The  sense  of  Beauty  gives  elevation  and  a 
picturesque  coloring  to  the  petitions  and  utter- 
ances. Conscientiousness  makes  the  tone  of 
confession  more  profound  and  sincere,  makes  the 
dedication  of  self  to  the  will  of  God  more  earnest. 
Thus  variously  does  Nature  prepare  us  for  en- 
tering the  world  of  higher  truth,  and  so  does 
she  prophesy,  in  her  sure  instincts,  the  food  which 
is  to  be  given  to  supply  them.  Only  let  us  not 
mistake  the  instinct  and  tendency  for  its  comple- 
tion, the  prophecy  for  its  fulfilment. 

Unquestionably  all  these  faculties  can  be  culti- 
vated, they  are  all  susceptible  of  education  and 
improvement.  But  as  no  amount  of  education 
can  make  of  some  men  great  poets,  orators, 
statesmen,  —  as  no  amount  of  culture  can  com- 
municate to  some  persons  a  taste  for  science, 
mathematics,  mechanics,  —  so  to  many  persons 
no  culture  can  convey  the  strong  devotional  ten- 
dencies which  others  inherit  from  nature.  Let 
us  be  satisfied,  therefore,  that,  beautiful  as  these 


124     THE    CHRISTIAN   DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

tendencies  are,  they  are  not  essential  for  com- 
munion with  God ;  that,  excellent  as  are  these 
preparations  of  piety,  there  is  another  and  "  a 
more  excellent  way." 

It  is  often  said  that  woman  is  naturally  more 
religious  by  nature  than  man.  If  Religion  is 
here  used  in  its  large  sense,  as  denoting  our  re- 
lations to  God  of  love,  trust,  obedience,  then 
the  statement  is  manifestly  untrue.  At  least  it 
seems  to  us  incredible,  that  the  Deity  should 
make  such  a  distinction  in  the  endowments  of 
those  who  were  intended  to  be  helpmeets  to  each 
other  in  all  things.  But  if  it  means  that  woman 
has  a  stronger  tendency  than  man  to  the  exercises 
of  public  worship,  and  finds  more  pleasure  than 
man  in  adoration,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
statement  is  correct.  The  beautiful  faculty  of 
Reverence  is  more  native  to  woman  than  to  man. 
And  for  this  endowment  she  may  well  be  grate- 
ful, and,  understanding  its  limitations,  use  it  for  her 
own  elevation  and  that  of  her  companion  and 
children. 

§  26.     Preparation  of  the  Heart. 

Let  us  now  pass  on  to  more  important  parts  of 
the  preparations  of  Prayer.  These  are  of  the 
Heart,  Mind,  and   Will.     In  all   these  there  is 


PREPARATION    OF    HEART.  125 

needed  a  general  and  a  special  preparation.  We 
need,  in  general,  to  have  the  right  Love,  Belief, 
and  Purpose,  emtx)died  in  the  tenor  of  our  life, 
in  order  to  pray  aright.  But  as  the  cares  and 
pleasures  and  occupations  of  the  world  confuse 
and  dim  these  fundamental  convictions  and  de- 
sires, they  need  to  be  refreshed  by  special  effort, 
in  order  that  our  daily  prayers  may  flow  up  out 
of  the  true  fountains. 

First,  therefore,  of  the  Preparation  of  Heart. 
It  is  clear  that  we  cannot  ask  for  any  thing  ear- 
nestly except  we  wish  for  it,  —  and  that  therefore 
except  we  are  in  our  heart  loving  and  seeking 
for  spiritual  things,  we  cannot  sincerely  ask  for 
them.  This  is  the  truth  in  the  apparently  harsh 
doctrine  that  the  prayers  of  the  unregenerate  are 
of  no  avail,  and  that  an  unconverted  person  has 
no  right  to  pray.  False  as  the  doctrine  is  in  this 
form,  it  involves  a  truth,  —  namely,  that  to  pray 
to  any  good  purpose,  the  general  wish  and  desire 
of  our  soul  must  be  for  goodness.  For  in  the 
first  place,  the  main  objects  of  Christian  supplica- 
tion and  thanksgiving  are  spiritual  blessings,  and 
if  we  do  not  love  them,  we  can  be  sincere  neither 
in  asking  for  them  nor  in  returning  thanks  for 
them.  And  again,  when  asking  for  temporal 
blessings,  we  cannot  ask  for  them  in  faith,  unless 
11* 


126     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

we  ask  in  a  Christian  spirit.  So  that  he  only  can 
pray  heartily,  whose  heart  is  right  with  God, — 
who  is,  in  the  deepest  tendency  of  his  hidden 
life,  longing  to  know  and  love  and  serve  God,  as 
his  main  joy.  The  first  preparation  for  prayer  is 
to  have  this  deep  inner  life  of  love.  Out  of  this 
life,  gratitude,  supplication,  confession,  easily 
flow.  The  tendency  of  the  soul  being  upward, 
the  thoughts  ascend  easily,  by  their  proper  mo- 
tion toward  heaven,  whenever  the  events  of  daily 
life  supply  the  occasion.  But  where  this  tenden- 
cy does  not  exist,  there  is  always  an  effort  re- 
quired for  prayer.  In  the  one  case  the  thoughts, 
like  Milton's  angels,  tend  naturally  upward,  by  a 
specific  levity,  and  descent  or  fall  to  them  is  ad- 
verse. In  the  other  case,  they  tend  downward 
by  a  specific  gravity,  toward  the  earthly  end,  the 
personal  gratification,  the  egotistical  triumph. 

But  supposing  the  main  purpose  and  aim  of 
life  to  be  directed  toward  truth  and  right,  the 
main  current  of  the  heart  to  be  setting  toward 
God  and  heaven,  still  it  will  happen  that  there 
will  be  eddies  here  and  there  running  the  other 
way.  Often  it  will  happen  that  we  shall  find 
ourselves  for  the  time  estranged  from  God,  and 
then  we  shall  often  make  the  discovery  of  our 
estrangement  by  its  effect  upon  our  prayers.    We 


PREPARATION    OF    THE    MIND.  127 

find  it  difficult  to  pray,  —  we  have  nothing  to  say, 
—  we  pray  from  our  memoiy  of  past  needs, 
rather  than  from  a  sense  of  present  ones.  Our 
words  mount  up,  our  thoughts  remain  below. 
This  state  of  mind  indicates  the  estrangement  of 
our  heart  from  God,  and  warns  us  to  return. 
Then  a  special  preparation  becomes  necessary. 
We  pray  God  to  teach  us  how  to  pray.  We  re- 
flect on  our  real  needs  till  the  desire  for  pardon, 
peace,  the  restoration  of  inward  life,  returns.  We 
examine  our  past  thoughts  and  actions  till  we  dis- 
cover what  it  is  which  has  led  us  away  from  the 
true  path.  And  so  out  of  a  genuine  humility 
there  springs  up  once  more  a  sincere  desire,  and 
our  prayer  again  becomes  an  utterance  of  the 
heart. 

§  27.     Preparation  of  the  Mind. 

The  mental  preparation  for  prayer  is  given  by 
the  Apostle  when  he  says,  that  "  they  who  come 
to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  the 
rewarder  of  all  those  who  diligently  seek  him." 
To  pray,  we  must  not  only  wish  for  what  we  pray, 
but  believe  that  there  is  One  who  will  give  it  in 
consequence  of  our  asking.  The  former  part  of 
this  essay  has  been  intended  to  produce  this 
conviction.     But  still  special  mental  preparations 


128     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

are  often  necessary  before  the  act  of  prayer,  —  a 
collecting  of  our  thoughts,  a  consideration  of  our 
needs,  a  meditation  on  our  circumstances. 

First,  consider  the  importance  of  preparation. 

Prayer  is  the  highest  act  of  the  human  soul, 
the  most  sublime  moment  in  human  life,  the  most 
wonderful  privilege  of  man.  It  certainly  gives  a 
singular  dignity  to  "  the  awful  soul  which  dwells 
in  clay,"  it  certainly  tends  to  destroy  the  vain 
distinctions  of  our  outward  life,  and  to  inspire  us 
with  a  just  respect  for  the  meanest  of  our  fellow- 
creatures,  to  know  that  this  high  privilege  belongs 
to  all.  That  forlorn  wretch,  who  has  no  human 
friend,  may  dwell  in  intimate  friendship  with 
the  Sovereign  of  the  world,  —  that  ignorant  mind, 
in  helpless  darkness  as  regards  all  earthly  knowl- 
edge, may  possess  himself  of  the  highest  idea  in 
the  universe,  —  that  sinner,  whom  even  good 
men  shrink  from,  may  commune  intimately  with 
the  All-Holy,  the  All-Glorious.  But  in  propor- 
tion to  the  greatness  and  blessedness  of  this  priv- 
ilege, its  perversion  is  the  more  deplorable. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  world  more  ineffably 
blessed  and  sublime  than  true  prayer.  But  when 
prayer  becomes  a  form,  a  ceremony,  a  cold  task, 
a  decency,  an  external  duty,  it  is  the  most  offen 
sive   of  human  falsehoods.     Mock  not  God,  de 


SPECIAL    MENTAL    PREPABATION.  129 

grade  not  yourselves,  by  such  prayers  as  these. 
A  prayer  which  is  felt  to  be  merely  a  form  comes 
over  the  soul  of  the  sincere  man  like  a  freezing 
blast  from  a  sea  of  ice.  We  wish  to  stop  our 
ears  and  flee  away  from  it. 

Prayer  is  approaching  voluntarily  the  Holiest 
and  Loftiest  Being.  You  would  not  run  heedlessly 
into  the  presence  of  an  eminent  person,  —  you 
would  not  go  to  visit  a  great  or  good  man  without 
some  consideration  of  what  you  should  say  to 
him.  You  would  wish  to  dress  your  mind  in  its 
best  thoughts,  to  lay  before  him  your  choicest 
and  most  valued  knowledge  ;  you  would  wish  to 
be  in  a  calm,  and  true,  and  gentle  mood.  Is  not 
equal  reverence  due  to  God  ?  Prayer  also  is  a 
great  action.  It  requires  energy  to  pray.  It  re- 
quires us  to  concentrate  and  direct  our  mind 
toward  the  Unseen,  the  Spiritual,  the  Infinite  ;  and 
with  earnest  effort  to  carry  up  our  thoughts,  our 
needs,  our  love.  But  how  often  we  pray  without 
any  such  preparation,  because  the  usual  time  for 
prayer  has  arrived  ?  Such  prayers  must  very 
often  be  false  and  hollow,  made  up  of  words  of 
wind.  If  we  were  always  in  a  spiritual  frame,  no 
preparation  would  be  necessary.  But  until  we 
attain  that  spiritual  state,  until  we  become  perfect 
men  in  Christ  Jesus,  until  our  whole  life  becomes 


130    THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

a  prayer  and  a  psalm,  we  should  make  a  prep- 
aration, if  only  for  a  few  moments,  before  every 
prayer.  We  should  turn  in,  and  examine  our 
state  of  mind,  and  see  whether  we  are  ready  to 
perform  this  high  act. 

Next  consider  the  nature  of  this  preparation. 

It  should  consist,  first,  in  realizing  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  "  He  that  cometh  to  God  must  be- 
lieve that  he  is,''''  —  and  that  not  merely  in  the 
cold  and  heartless  assent  of  the  intellect  to  the 
theological  assertion  that  there  is  a  First  Cause. 
No.  But  if  your  mind  has  been  separated  from 
God  by  low  cares,  by  worldly  labors,  if  you  have 
lost  the  sense  of  his  great  Presence,  —  turn  in, 
—  realize  now  where  you  are,  who  is  near  you, 
whose  eye  is  upon  you.  That  ever  open  eye, 
to  whose  glance  the  night  shineth  as  the  day, 
that  dread  Presence  which  walks  unseen  on  our 
right  hand  and  our  left,  that  awful  and  Infinite 
Being  who  holds  us  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand, — 
realize  that  He  is  very  nigh  thee,  —  not  afar  off 
upon  some  distant  throne,  but  giving  thee  the  very 
breath  which  speaks  his  praise,  moving  the 
very  pulse  which  throbs  in  warm  gratitude  to 
him,  the  life  of  thy  life  !  Thus  let  thy  words 
not  be  sent  forth  into  a  void  inane  to  search  for  a 
distant  Power,  but  breathed  reverently  to  Him 
who  knows  the  unuttered  thought. 


SPECIAL    PREPARATIONS.  13x 

Then,  wlien  we  realize  that  we  are  in  God's 
presence,  let  us  also  realize  why  we  pray,  what 
we  need,  —  let  us  understand  ourselves.  Perhaps 
it  is  the  close  of  the  day.  It  has  been  a  day  of 
toil  and  of  care  ;  but  now  we  are  at  its  close,  — 
the  world  is  shut  out,  and  we  are  alone  with 
hearts  which  beat  in  warm  sympathy  whh  our 
own.  We  are  about  to  thank  God  ;  but  let  us 
see  first  whether  we  are  ready  to  thank  him  with 
our  hearts.  Are  we  really  sensible  of  the  love 
which  has  attended  us  through  the  day }  are 
we  sensible  that  it  was  GocTs  love  which  wel- 
comed us  in  the  cheerful  morning  from  the  fresh 
air  and  the  bright  sky,  —  that  it  was  GocVs  love 
which  shone  upon  us  from  the  kind  eyes  of  earth- 
ly afl^ection,  or  when  in  a  friend's  words,  in  a  book 
which  we  opened  for  a  moment,  a  thought  came 
to  us  of  high  and  generous  virtue,  which  inspired 
us  for  the  moment  with  a  breathing  after  the 
same  }  We  were  in  a  gloomy  mood,  dispirited 
and  sad,  and  a  letter  was  brought  to  us,  the  words 
of  which  lay  warm  at  our  heart  for  hours.  In 
all  these  events,  and  a  thousand  like  events,  do 
we  stop  with  the  earthly  cause,  or  have  we  pene- 
trated through  to  the  Heavenly  Cause  ?  If  we 
have  seen  God  in  these  gifts,  then  we  shall  thank 
him  sincerely  now.     So,  too,  in   our  prayer  we 


132     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

are  about  to  confess  our  sins.  But,  first,  let  us  be 
sure  that  we  feel  our  sins.  Do  we  think  how,  all 
through  this  day,  our  feelings  have  been  morose, 
our  temper  fretful,  our  words  harsh  and  unkind, 
so  that  on  the  whole  we  have  been  making  all 
around  us  unhappy  rather  than  increasing  their 
joy  .?  Do  we  remember  that  we  missed  oppor- 
tunities to-day,  through  our  selfishness  or  indo- 
lence, of  doing  actions  which  would  have  made 
others  happier  or  better,  —  opportunities  which 
we  shall  never  have,  again  }  Do  we  remember 
how  our  proud,  careless  words  have  led  others 
to  make  light  of  sin,  —  have  weakened  their 
principles  ?  Do  we  remember  having  acted  the 
part  of  Satan  to  any,  tempting  them  to  evil 
instead  of  strengthening  them  for  good  ?  Do  we 
remember  how  our  duties,  even  when  done,  have 
been  done  with  the  hand  rather  than  the  heart, 
coldly  and  mechanically  ?  Do  we  remember  all 
the  careless  words  we  have  spoken,  some  of 
which  were  barbed  arrows  of  unkind  surmise,  of 
harsh  and  cruel  judgment  ?  It  was  our  duty  this 
day  to  have  loved  God  with  all  our  mind,  heart, 
soul,  and  strength,  and  our  neighbor  as  ourself. 
Alas  !  where  has  our  love  been  }  Perhaps  we 
have  not  thought  of  God  at  all.  Perhaps  v/e 
have  only  thought  of  our  neighbor  to  use  him  for 


SPECIAL    PREPARATIONS.  133 

our  profit,  to  sneer  at  his  character,  to  wound  his 
feelings. 

I  think  if  we  ask  ourselves  such  questions  as 
these,  that  we  shall  be  able  to  say  with  sincerity 
in  our  prayer,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner !  " 

And  then,  also,  we  propose  to  ask  God  to  de- 
liver us  from  evil  and  make  us  pure  and  holy. 
But  let  us  be  sure  that  we  really  wish  to  be  deliv- 
ered from  evil,  that  we  are  really  conscious  of 
the  guilt  and  woe  of  sin,  that  we  are  deeply  sub- 
missive to  the  will  of  God,  and  are  ready  to  have 
him  do  with  us  what  he  will.  If  we  have  no 
strong  desire  for  redemption,  no  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness,  no  purpose  of  self-con- 
secration and  submission,  it  is  worse  than  vain  to 
utter  the  loords  of  petition.  Let  us  then  realize 
how  much  we  need  Divine  help  and  the  spirit  of 
God  in  our  hearts  to  form  them  anew  into  the 
image  of  his  Son.  Let  us  look  forward  to  the 
duties  which  lie  before  us,  to  the  judgment  which 
is  to  come,  to  the  accountabilities  we  are  under. 
Judging  by  the  past,  we  may  see  how  unfit  we 
are  to  meet  these  duties  and  responsibilities,  how 
certainly  we  shall  always  fail  in  the  hour  of 
temptation,  as  we  always  have  fallen,  unless 
God  shall  create  in  us  a  new  heart,  inspire  us 
12 


134     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

with  a  deeper  faith,  stronger  convictions  of  the 
danger  and  guiU  of  sin,  and  a  more  solemn  sense 
of  eternal  realities.  Such  reflections  as  these 
will  make  us  in  earnest,  when  we  ask  Divine 
help  and  succor. 

§  28.     Experience.  —  Out  of  the  Depths. 

A  further  preparation  may  come  to  us  out  of  the 
deeper  experiences  of  life.  We  may  pray  sincere- 
ly, but  superficially,  from  the  surface  rather  than 
from  the  depths  of  the  mind.  We  may  pray  from 
our  perception  of  what  is  right  and  true,  rather 
than  from  a  deep  feeling  of  it.  But  when  we  can 
say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Out  of  the  depths  have  I 
cried  unto  thee,  O  God !  "  then  we  have  achieved 
also  the  moral  preparation  for  prayer,  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  moral  experience.  Then  we  acquire 
the  habit  of  prayer  out  of  the  deep  places  of  life, 
and  the  deep  places  of  the  heart. 

There  are  deep  places  in  life.  For  years  we 
v>pass  on  in  a  circle  of  routine,  until  we  reach  a 
crisis.  Sometimes  years  of  cloudless  prosperity 
are  at  once  interrupted  by  a  succession  of 
troubles,  as  the  smooth  stream  of  a  river  is 
broken  by  rapids  and  hurried  suddenly  down  a 
cataract.  The  happy  family  is  entered  by  Death, 
—  father,  mother,  children,  are  snatched  away 


OUT    OF    THE    DEPTHS.  135 

from  that  loving  circle.  Love  is  disappointed,  — 
hopes  are  frustrated,  —  prosperity  ceases,  —  ad- 
versity comes,  —  sickness  despoils  us  of  our  en- 
ergies. In  such  hours  we  seem  to  descend,  step 
by  step,  into  still  more  profound  depths  of  trial 
and  sorrow.  But  from  these  depths  the  heart 
sees  God  more  clearly  than  from  the  sunny 
hill-tops  of  a  happy  life,  —  as  persons  can  see 
the  stars  at  midday  from  the  bottom  of  a  well. 
When  all  around  us  grows  dark,  the  inward  light 
grows  stronger  and  clearer.  When  man  deceives 
us,  God  is  faithful.  When  Death  approaches  us 
outwardly,  the  idea  of  Immortal  Life  dawns,  in 
pure  auroral  light,  within  the  heart.  In  such 
hours  we  learn  to  pray. 

But  there  are  deeps  lower  than  those  of 
trouble  and  outward  affliction,  —  moments  in 
which,  though  no  external  trouble  comes  near  us, 
inward  joy  departs.  There  are  depths  of  scepti- 
cism which  the  soul  of  man  has  sometimes  to 
pass,  in  his  pilgrim's  progress  toward  God, — 
depths  in  which  we  lose  our  faith  in  God,  in 
man,  in  ourselves, —  in  which  we  ask  for  the 
meaning  of  the  world,  and  find  none,  —  in  which 
all  things  seem  full  of  vanity  and  emptiness,  and 
we  cause  our  heart  to  despair  of  all  its  labor 
which   it  takes   under   the    sun.     Blacker   than 


136     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    TRAYER. 

Egyptian  darkness  is  this  mental  gloom,  which 
sometimes  settles,  for  a  time,  upon  the  purest  and 
most  aspiring  minds,  —- 

"  A  grief  without  a  pang,  void,  dark,  and  drear, 
A  stifled,  drowsy,  unimpassioned  grief, 
Which  finds  no  natural  outlet,  no  relief 
In  word,  or  sigh,  or  tear." 

In  this  condition  of  scepticism,  when  we  are  like 
children  lost  in  a  forest,  what  can  we  do  but 
cry  to  God  ?  This  is  the  remedy,  this  the  cure. 
It  is  not  reasoning  or  argument  which  can  help 
us  in  this  disease,  but  Prayer.  If  we  have 
faith  enough  left  to  cry  to  God,  Peace  and  Light 
may  then  return  to  us. 

But  below  this  depth  there  is  yet  another,  — 
the  depth  of  Sin.  What  a  terrible  moment  is 
that  which  reveals  to  us  our  sins,  —  which  shows 
us  how  we  have  been  selfish  and  ungrateful, 
proud  and  vain,  worldly  and  frivolous !  Some- 
times the  veil  seems  to  be  taken  from  our  heart, 
and  a  mirror  put  before  it,  and  we  see  our  own 
wilfulness  and  selfishness.  There  they  pass  be- 
fore us,  in  long  procession,  our  vanished  years ; 
each  turning  upon  us  a  sad,  reproachful  face,  as 
though  it  said,  "  Why  did  you  lose  my  golden 
opportunities  }  why  fill  my  hours  with  thought- 
less folly  }   why   suffer  me  to   be  stained  with 


OUT    OF    THE    DEPTHS.  137 

evil  thought  and  action  ?  "  The  sin  which,  when 
we  committed  it,  we  excused  so  easily,  and 
thought  so  lightly  of,  now  stands  before  us  dark 
and  terrible.  Conscious  of  our  degradation,  of 
our  lost  innocence,  of  our  chilled  affections  and 
debased  purposes,  what  can  we  do,  in  this  mo- 
ment of  remorse,  but  cry  unto  God  7  Out  of  this 
deep  too  we  may  cry,  and  be  heard.  He  who 
stood  afar  off,  and  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner  !  "  —  he  went 
down  to  his  house  justified,  rather  than  the  other. 
But  if  there  are  these  depths  of  sorrow,  there 
are  deep  places  of  joy  also  along  our  pathway, — 
when  life  becomes  suddenly  rich  and  full  and 
hopeful,  —  when  all  within  and  around  smiles. 
As  sometimes,  after  a  cold  and  backward  spring, 
one  warm  week  will  open  all  the  buds  and  dress 
the  trees  with  blossoms,  and  fill  the  air  with  fra- 
grance wafted  from  a  thousand  flowers,  —  so 
sometimes  in  life.  The  mother  clasps  her  new- 
born infant  to  her  heart,  and  her  heart  grows 
even  more  full  of  gratitude  to  God  than  of  love 
to  her  child.  The  darling  sister  or  daughter  is 
restored  to  us  from  the  bed  which  seemed  that  of 
death ;  or  there  comes  to  us  an  inward  light,  ■— 
we  are  lifted  from  misty  doubt  into  clear  convic- 
tions, —  our  path  of  life  is  made  clear  to  us.  We 
12* 


138     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

see  what  we  ought  to  do,  and  God  nerves  us  with 
strength  to  do  it.  We  are  equal  to  the  hour 
which  demands  a  sacrifice  for  principle.  Con- 
science is  obeyed,  and  in  the  cahn  tranquillity 
which  follows  we  have  a  foretaste  of  heaven. 
We  see  the  dawning  of  truths  intended  to  be 
the  "  master  lights  of  all  our  being,"  —  we  see 
the  beauty  of  holiness,  of  purity,  of  generosity, 
of  heroic  self-denial,  —  and  humbling  ourselves 
as  little  children  before  them,  we  are  rewarded 
with  a  child's  joy. 

Such  are  some  of  the  Deep  Moments  of  Life, 
out  of  which  if  we  cry  to  God,  our  prayer  is 
not  one  of  form,  thought,  and  sentiment  merely, 
but  of  sincerity  and  truth.  Such  moments  will 
lead  us  to  understand  ourselves,  will  lead  us  in- 
ward, will  deepen  our  characters,  and  make  our 
common  prayers  to  flow,  not  from  the  surface, 
but  from  the  Deep  Places  of  the  Mind. 

For  we  are  complex  beings.  There  is  much 
on  the  surface  of  our  soul,  and  many  things  be- 
low it.  But  the  real  prayer  is  that  which  comes 
from  below,  —  out  of  the  depths.  And  while 
the  surface  of  the  soul  says  one  thing,  its  depth 
may  say  quite  another.  But  the  true  prayer  is 
the  deep  prayer. 

There  is  a  deep  place  of  love  in  the  heart  of 


DEEP  PLACES  OF  THE  MIND.       139 

man, — there  is  a  deep  cuiTent  of  affection  which 
is  his  real  life.  Wherever  that  flows,  there  goes 
he.  Wherever  that  tends,  that  is  his  tendency. 
He  may  have  other  desires,  different  from  this 
main  desire,  inconsistent  with  it,  opposed  to  it, 
perhaps,  but  these  are  only  transient  and  in- 
effective wishes;  this  is  the  constant  and  con- 
trolling will.  These  are  the  eddies  only;  this, 
the  current. 

So,  too,  there  is  a  deep  Thought  and  a  super- 
ficial Thought.  The  deep  thought  is  our  real, 
abiding  conviction ;  the  superficial  thought  is  our 
present  belief,  our  transient  opinion.  In  many 
men,  what  they  call  their  belief  is  only  what  they 
think  they  believe,  or  think  they  ought  to  believe, 
or  would  like  to  believe.  It  does  not  stand  root- 
ed in  their  experience,  fastened  to  the  mind  by 
the  results  of  observation,  trial,  reflection.  They 
do  not  believe,  but,  as  has  been  well  said,  they 
only  make  believe.  Now  what  sort  of  a  prayer 
is  that  which  comes  from  such  superficial  affec- 
tions and  opinions  ?  It  is  no  real  prayer.  With 
his  superficial  thoughts  and  wishes,  a  man  prays 
to  God  for  piety,  truth,  and  goodness,  for  virtue 
and  heaven.  But  meantime,  with  his  inmost  will, 
with  his  deepest  conviction,  he  prays  for  wealth, 
triumphs,  honors,  popularity.     In  these  he  really 


140     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

believes,  for  these  he  really  longs.     This,  then, 
is  his  real  prayer. 

Especially  a  man  prays  well  who  prays  out  of 
the  depths  of  his  actual  life.  That  which  we  are 
living  for,  that  we  can  easily  pray  for.  If  we 
are  living  towards  generous  and  humane  ends ; 
if  we  are  living  to  advance  a  little  the  upward 
progress  of  humanity,  to  remove  a  little  the 
crushing  burdens  which  rest  on  human  hearts ; 
if  we  are  living  to  do  good  to  others  and  become 
better  ourselves,  —  O,  how  easily  shall  we  pray 
out  of  such  a  life  as  this  !  As  naturally  as  smoke 
ascends  to  lose  itself  and  become  pure  in  the 
upper  regions  of  the  air,  will  our  anxious  and 
troubled  thoughts  rise  to  God,  and  find  them- 
selves calmed  and  strengthened  in  his  presence. 
Then  we  shall  not  be  divided,  distracted,  uncer- 
tain. We  shall  pray  our  work,  and  act  out  our 
prayers.  Our  prayers  will  not  be  formal,  forced, 
laborious,  but  simply  the  walking  before  God, 
walking  in  his  spirit,  and  continuing  to  receive 
light,  love,  and  strength  from  him.  Thus  shall 
we  call  upon  God  evermore  out  of  the  depths  of 
life  and  out  of  the  depths  of  the  mind. 


141 


CHAPTER    V. 


BIETHODS. 


§  29.     Private  Prayer. 

The  largest  part  of  the  Christian's  prayers  will 
always  be  private.  His  prayers  will  be  a  dia- 
logue with  his  Heavenly  Father.  If  his  religion 
is  not  so,  he  may  distrust  its  sincerity.  If  it  be 
not  more  secret  than  public,  more  hidden  than 
open,  —  if  his  prayers  in  his  closet,  in  his  studies, 
in  his  walks,  are  not  far  more  constant  and  im- 
portant than  his  prayers  in  company  and  in 
church,  —  he  ought  to  doubt  whether  he  does  not 
pray  to  be  seen  of  men  rather  than  to  be  seen 
and  heard  of  God.  Secret  prayer  is  the  fountain 
of  all  other  prayer.  Where  there  is  no  habit  of 
private  communion  with  God,  there  will  be  no 
earnestness  in  public  prayer.  It  will  be  formal, 
diy,  and  consisting  in  endless  repetitions  of  the 
customary  phrases.  The  life  of  religion  in  the 
soul  consists  in  habitual  communion  with  God, 
in  gratitude,  in  supplication,  in  "  the  flight  of  one 


142     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

alone  to  the  Only  One."  This  hidden,  inner  life 
must  be  maintained  in  its  fulness  by  constant 
prayer,  and  thus  it  will  flow  out  easily  into  all 
the  acts  of  public  devotion  and  active  goodness. 
But  when  this  inner  life  stagnates,  then  the  out- 
ward acts  of  devotion  become  formal  and  rigid, 
and  the  man  is  like  a  tree,  hollow  at  heart,  which 
still  may  maintain  an  outward  languid  show  of 
life ;  or  like  an  olive-tree  dead  at  the  root, 
which  still  may  bear  "  two  or  three  berries  in 
the  top  of  the  uppermost  bough,  four  or  five  in 
the  outmost  fruitful  branches  thereof." 

Secret  Prayer  is  the  sign  and  the  food  of  this 
inner  life.  Its  sign,  —  for  this  life  is  love,  and 
where  love  exists,  it  will  express  itself.  If  the 
heart  loves  God,  it  will  commune  with  him,  it 
will  habitually  turn  to  him,  as  the  heliotrope  to 
the  king  of  day  ;  it  will  lean  on  him  in  depend- 
ence, trust,  and  confidence.  Its  food,  —  for  such 
communion  opens  the  soul  to  receive  new  life 
flowing  into  it  from  God,  and  prayer  is  the  door 
through  which  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  soul 
are  brought  in. 

One  great  advantage  of  Private  or  Individual 
Prayer  is  its  freedom  of  form ;  another,  its  great- 
er range  of  subjects  and  occasions.  Its  form  is 
free.     It  may  be  mental  or  oral,  it  may  be  only 


PRIVATE    PRAYER.  143 

the  unexpressed,  sincere  desire  of  the  soul,  or  it 
may  be  a  verbal  utterance  of  wants  and  needs. 
It  may  be 

"  The  burden  of  a  sigh, 

The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 
When  none  but  God  is  near,"  — 

or  it  may  be  a  written  form  of  self-dedication, 
carefully  prepared,  and  solemnly  read  once  and 
again  on  the  bended  knees.  It  may  be  at  set 
times  or  at  any  and  every  time,  —  walking  to  and 
fro,  sitting,  kneeling,  waking  at  midnight  on  the 
bed,  in  the  midst  of  affairs.  We  carry  this  closet 
with  us  everywhere,  we  can  always  step  in  and 
shut  the  door.  No  one  sees  that  we  have  gone 
in,  unless  our  secret  communion  with  our  Father 
shows  itself  by  "a  sweet,  attractive  kind  of 
grace,"  which  such  intercourse  leaves  behind  it 
on  the  features. 

Sometimes  the  deepest  prayer  of  all  is  not 
only  without  utterance,  not  only  without  words, 
but  even  goes  down  below  the  region  of  distinct 
thought.  It  is  simply  turning  to  God,  and  open- 
inn;  the  heart  to  him,  to  receive  whatever  influ- 
ence  he  may  send.  It  is  the  state  of  mind  de- 
scribed in  all  the  Quaker  books  of  devotion,  and 
expressed  in  the  sweet  Methodist  hymn,  which 


144     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

seems  written  not  for  Methodists,  but  to  be  sung 
in  the  Friends'  meeting-house  :  — 

"  From  the  world  of  sin  and  noise 
And  hurry  I  withdraw  ; 
For  the  small  and  inner  voice 
I  wait  with  silent  awe ; 
Silent  am  I  now  and  still, 
Dare  not  in  thy  presence  move  : 
To  my  waiting  soul  reveal 
The  secret  of  thy  love." 

And  as  the  form  of  Secret  Prayer  is  thus  free, 
so  are  its  topics  extensive.  Every  thing  furnish- 
es occasions  and  subjects  for  Private  Prayer. 
Things  which  we  could  not  mention  before  men 
we  can  express  to  God.  Thoughts  too  private 
and  intimate,  facts  too  famihar,  needs  of  the  day 
and  hour,  all  circumstances  which  befall  us,  all 
occasions  which  we  have  to  encounter,  all  dan- 
gers and  temptations  which  we  may  foresee  im- 
pending, all  opportunities  of  usefulness  which  we 
may  anticipate,  —  these  all  may  furnish  themes 
and  incitements  to  devotion.  The  minister  going 
to  visit  a  parishioner,  the  lawyer  rising  to  plead  a 
cause,  the  physician  entering  the  sick-room,  the 
mechanic  engaging  in  daily  labor,  the  teacher, 
the  shopkeeper,  and  any  one,  of  whatever  occu- 
pation, may  all  turn  in  first,  to  ask  a  heavenly 


FAMILY   AND    SOCIAL    PRAYER.  145 

aid  for  tlie  earthly  task.  We  are  about  to  go 
among  friends,  or  among  strangers,  and  our 
words  may  do  them  good,  may  do  them  harm  ; 
shall  we  not  ask  that  our  words  may  be  rightly 
guided  ?  We  are  likely  to  meet  temptations,  ^ 
temptations  to  vary  a  little  way  from  strict  hon- 
esty, strict  truth,  strict  purity ;  we  are  tempt- 
ed to  doubt,  to  despair,  to  weariness  ;  we  are 
tempted  to  take  a  dark  view  of  life,  of  human 
nature  ;  —  let  us  pray !  We  are  to  be  placed 
among  opponents,  enemies ;  we  shall  be  tempt- 
ed to  return  railing  for  railing,  evil  for  evil ;  —  let 
us  pray!  Thus  arise  around  us  the  manifold 
occasions  for  private  prayer,  —  for  a  word,  a 
thought,  a  longing.  Things  which  could  not  well 
be  said  in  the  presence  of  others,  may  be  ex- 
pressed in  these  moments  of  intimate,  interior 
communion. 

§  30.    Family  and  Social  Prayer. 

The  first  form  of  open  prayer  is  in  the  family, 
and  as  soon  as  we  pass  from  the  sphere  of  pri- 
vate prayer  into  this,  we  lose  much  of  the  extent 
of  topics  and  freedom  of  method.  Family  devo- 
tion is  both  important  and  difficult,  —  the  difficul- 
ty arising  from  the  fact,  that  the  members  of  a 
family,  having  so  much  else  in  common,  may  not 
13 


146  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

necessarily  have  the  same  religious  life.  This 
makes  the  selection  of  topics  and  their  treatment 
a  matter  of  no  small  importance.  The  topics 
should  not  be  abstract  and  general,  but  local  and 
particular ;  they  should  grow  out  of  the  family 
life,  and  the  relations  of  parents  and  children, 
husband  and  wife,  master  and  servant.  As  re- 
gards the  method  of  family  devotion,  it  may  be 
recommended  to  have  all  the  members  of  the 
household  take  part  in  it,  by  reading  from  the 
Scriptures  in  turn,  by  singing  hymns  in  common, 
by  responses  and  alternate  oral  utterance.  For 
this  purpose  a  devotional  manual  is  desirable, 
and  where  this  cannot  be  used,  the  reading  in 
common  of  the  devotional  Psalms.  In  this  way 
the  service  may  not  only  be  made  less  tedious, 
but  a  living  interest  may  grow  up  in  it ;  and 
years  after,  children  may  look  back  to  the  influ- 
ences of  these  morning  and  evening  hours,  as 
sources  of  present  strength  and  peace  to  their 
hearts. 

The  Social  Prayer,  where  two  or  three  unite 
together  who  are  both  intimate  with  each  other 
and  also  disciples  of  the  same  Master  and  be- 
lievers in  the  same  truth,  is  something  interme- 
diate between  Private  and  Public  Prayer.  It  has 
something  of  the   freedom  and  range  of  private 


PUBLIC    PRAYER.  147 

prayer,  and  the  added  force  of  sympathy  from 
the  union  of  accordant  minds.  The  small  meet- 
ings of  Christian  friends  in  the  parlor  or  vestiy 
are  often  felt  to  bring  the  soul  nearer  to  God  than 
the  worship  of  the  great  congregation,  in  which 
the  diversity  is  too  great  to  allow  of  a  close  un- 
ion of  thought.  It  is  therefore  a  very  useful 
practice  in  a  church  to  hold  meetings  for  confer- 
ence and  prayer,  which  will  be  always  attended 
by  those  who  are  near  together  in  sympathy. 
Such  meetings  warm  the  hearts,  and  kindle  anew 
the  fading  flame  of  devotion.  There  is  no  rea- 
son why  they  should  not  be  adopted  by  all  sects  ; 
especially  if  they  are  adopted  and  retained,  not 
as  a  decent  form,  but  only  while  they  are  living, 
and  filled  with  a  living  interest.  The  morning 
prayer-meeting,  where  Christian  friends  may 
meet  for  half  an  hour  before  engaging  in  the  du- 
ties of  the  day,  may  be,  as  it  has  been,  a  source 
of  strength  to  many  for  the  common  labors  and 
trials  of  life. 

§  31.    Public  Prayer. 

The  subject  of  Public  Worship  is  too  large  to 
be  treated  here  with  any  fulness.  I  shall  merely 
venture  a  few  suggestions  in  relation  to  the  two 
questions,  "What  are  the  reasons  for  maintain- 


148     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ing  Public  Worship  ?  "  and,  "  How  is  this  Public 
Worship  to  be  made  most  interesting  and  use- 
ful ?  " 

Public  worship  has  this  great  advantage  and 
value,  —  that  it  recognizes  a  public  religious  sen- 
timent. It  is  a  perpetual  denial  by  the  Christian 
Church  of  its  own  doctrine  of  Total  Depravity. 
It  assumes  that  the  whole  community,  the  con- 
verted and  the  unconverted,  the  regenerate  and 
the  unre generate,  can  pray,  ought  to  pray,  wish 
to  pray.  It  so  far  counteracts  the  pharisaic  feel- 
ing engendered  by  these  distinctions.  It  is,  more- 
over, a  religious  education  for  the  whole  commu- 
nity. Who  can  tell  the  amount  of  influence 
exerted,  directly  and  indirectly,  by  the  fact  of 
Sunday  worship  pervading  the  whole  land,  of 
Sunday  stillness,  cessation  from  business,  of 
church-bells,  and  the  streets  filling  with  the  cur- 
rents of  piety  which  set  toward  the  house  of 
God  }  Who  can  estimate  the  impression  made 
by  the  sight  of  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  all 
classes,  all  orders,  equalized  before  God  in  a 
common  worship,  —  by  the  great  assembly  kneel- 
ing together,  responding  together,  lifting  their 
voices  with  one  accord  in  solemn  hymns  and 
anthems,  moved  by  a  common  feeling  and  con- 
viction in  listening  to  the  word  read  or  spoken  } 


PUBLIC    WORSHIP.  149 

It  is  a  humanizing  influence,  purifying  and  ele- 
vating the  community,  keeping  alive  the  sense  of 
God's  presence  in  the  world  and  nearness  to  the 
human  heart,  keeping  up  a  Christian  standard  of 
duty  and  responsibility.  The  power  of  this  in- 
stitution of  public  worship  as  a  means  of  Chris- 
tian education  can  only  be  realized  by  those  who 
have  lived  in  those  outskirts  of  civilization  where 
it  has  not  gone,  and  have  seen  the  results  of  its 
first  introduction.  In  the  Western  States  of  this 
Union,  towns  have  grown  up  containing  one  thou- 
sand or  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  in  which 
there  has  been  no  regular  public  worship.  Such 
communities  are  without  order  or  peace,  —  they 
are  the  abodes  of  violence,  intemperance,  and  all 
forms  of  brutal  vice.  At  last  there  comes  some 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  —  a  travelling  Methodist, 
perhaps,  with  all  his  library  contained  in  his  sad- 
dle-bags, who  composes  his  sermons  while  riding 
beneath  the  shade  of  the  majestic  forests  of  beech 
and  tulip-tree,  who  finds  his  congregation  of  an 
evening  in  a  countiy  schoolhouse,  or  in  the  open 
woods,  who  combines  in  himself  the  functions  of 
preacher,  choir,  and  sexton,  and  whose  only 
emolument  is  his  supper  and  lodging.  Such  a 
man  comes  into  the  town,  finds  out  and  brings 
together  those  who  are  wishing  for  a  more  Chris- 

13* 


150     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

tian  society,  establishes  some  regular  public  wor- 
ship, and  thus  sets  on  foot  a  humanizing  influ- 
ence. A  new  public  opinion  is  created,  favorable 
to  order,  civility,  and  peace.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  years  the  aspect  of  affairs  is  wholly  altered, 
the  rudeness  and  violence  are  gone,  and  are  re- 
placed by  habits  of  sobriety  and  decency.  Now, 
in  this  case,  the  Church,  with  its  institution  of 
worship,  does  not  act  as  a  police,  restraining  the 
outbreak  of  crime,  but  as  an  educational  influ- 
ence, correcting  the  tendencies  to  crime.  In  this 
instance  we  have  given  the  history  of  what  has 
actually  occurred  again  and  again,  in  numberless 
instances  throughout  our  Western  States,  within 
the  last  half-century. 

But  not  only  does  public  worship  tend  to  edu- 
cate the  community  by  awakening  and  develop- 
ing religious  ideas,  but  it  also  cultivates  humane 
feelings,  brings  the  different  classes  of  society 
near  to  each  other,  makes  one  common  platform 
on  which  all  can  stand  together,  and  so  counter- 
acts continually  the  tendencies  to  separate  and 
isolated  life.  People  who  live  all  other  days 
apart  from  each  other,  whose  lives  are  narrowed 
to  little  rounds  of  domestic  duty,  who  see  only 
small  family  groups  and  cliques,  come  into 
church  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  feel  themselves 


PUBLIC    WORSHIP.  151 

for  an  hour  at  one  with  all  classes  of  men.  This 
hour,  though  only  hringing  them  into  an  external 
contact,  and  no  intimate  communion,  does  much 
to  emancipate  them  from  a  narrow  and  too  indi- 
vidual life.  All  professions,  conditions,  charac- 
ters, are  side  by  side  engaged  in  the  same  serious 
occupation.  Political  opponents  here  forget  their 
disputes,  —  rivals  in  fashion,  competitors  in  busi- 
ness, rich  and  poor,  are  here  brought  into  a  cer- 
tain sympathy  ;  —  and  this  is  no  small  gain. 

We  say  no  more  here  of  the  advantages  of 
Public  Worship,  since  this  topic  needs  no  special 
treatment,  but  pass  on  to  the  more  important 
question.  How  shall  it  be  made  most  interesting 
and  useful  ? 

The  interest  of  Public  Worship  depends  chiefly 
on  this,  —  that  it  shall  be  a  reality^  and  not  a 
form.  If,  when  we  enter  the  church,  we  are 
made  to  feel  that  we  are  among  a  people  who 
have  met  only  because  it  is  a  custom  so  to  meet ; 
if  there  is  no  awe,  no  earnestness,  no  devotion, 
no  humanity  ;  if  we  perceive  the  airs  of  fashion, 
display,  egotism,  self-conceit,  in  the  attitudes, 
looks,  and  gestures  of  the  assembly,  —  not  only  is 
there  no  good  done,  but  there  is  a  positively  evil 
influence.  We  can  bear  these  manifestations 
elsewhere,  but  not  here  ;  —  here  they  disgust  and 


152     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

offend  us,  and  make  us  doubt  the  reality  of  all 
faith  and  all  religious  feeling. 

For  it  is  no  doubt  the  fact,  that  we  feel  at  once 
what  is  the  spirit  of  a  congregation.  Seriousness 
manifests  itself  inevitably  without  effort,  in  the  at- 
titudes, looks,  gestures.  Frivolity  manifests  itself 
as  inevitably  in  careless  attitudes,  and  gestures 
or  looks  which  express  indifference  to  others, 
satisfaction  with  self,  irreverence  toward  God. 
You  cannot  enter  a  congregation  without  feeling 
at  once  this  spirit,  and  you  unconsciously  sym- 
pathize with  it.  The  voluntary  on  the  organ 
tells  you  that  the  organist  is  wishing  to  show  off 
his  technical  skill  and  power  over  the  instrument, 
—  the  choir  say  in  their  singing,  veiy  audibly, 
"  We  are  paid  so  much  for  coming  here,  and  we 
must  do  this  as  a  matter  of  business,"  or,  "  We 
wish  to  show  you  what  fine  voices  we  have,  and 
what  we  are  able  to  execute."  The  minister  reads 
or  prays,  and  the  sound  of  his  voice  says,  "  I  am 
unprepared  to  pray,  —  I  have  nothing 'of  the 
spirit  of  prayer  ;  but  I  am  going  to  assume  a 
solemn  tone,  so  as  to  convince  myself  and  you 
that  I  am  quite  in  earnest."  All  this  worldliness 
and  indifference  and  languor  passes  into  the  con- 
gregation. As  they  repose  in  the  corners  of  the 
pews,  as  they  sit  and  stand  and  stare  in  all  direc- 


PUBLIC    WORSHIP.  153 

tions,  with  empty  or  supercilious  gaze,  they  de- 
clare plainly  that  they  have  come  to  church  with 
no  religious  interest  or  aim,  and  that  they  will 
probably  leave  it  with  no  religious  impression. 
The  sermon  is,  in  such  cases,  the  only  hope  for 
the  service.  In  that  the  minister  is  likely  to  be 
really  interested,  since  he  has  written  it  with 
thought  and  care,  and  therefore  he  will  more  or 
less  interest  the  congregation,  and  so  some  good 
will  be  done. 

When  worship  is  felt  to  have  thus  degenerated 
into  a  form,  empty  of  meaning  and  life,  serious 
persons  will  be  revolted  by  it,  and  will  be  tempted 
to  desert  public  worship  altogether.  Yet  in  so 
doing  they  will  miss  the  advantages  above  men- 
tioned, and  will  feel  that  they  are  becoming  lone- 
ly and  morbid  in  their  interior  life.  Therefore 
the  question  is.  How  shall  new  life  and  earnest- 
ness be  breathed  into  public  worship,  so  as  to 
make  it  really  interesting  and  useful  ? 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  this  end  may  be 
reached.  First,  the  minister  and  the  congrega-. 
tion  may  make  direct  efforts  to  obtain  a  new  and 
earnest  interest  in  their  worship,  and  secondly, 
they  may  indirectly  seek  it  through  the  medium 
of  new  forms  and  improved  methods.  There 
are  these  two  wants,  —  the  want  of  New  Wine 


154     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

and  the  want  of  New  Bottles,  —  of  a  new  spirit, 
and  of  new  forms.  A  new  spirit  will  give  nov- 
elty and  interest  to  old  forms,  and  new  forms 
will  often  awaken  a  new  spirit. 

Let  the  minister  feel  an  earnest  desire  to  give 
new  life  to  the  public  worship,  —  let  him  never 
enter  the  pulpit  without  mental  and  moral  prepa- 
ration,—  let  him  never  engage  in  public  prayer, 
until  he  has  privately  asked  God's  aid  that  he 
may  pray  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  —  let  him  revolve 
the  needs  of  his  congregation,  feel  a  living  sym- 
pathy with  them  all,  the  happy  and  the  sorrowful, 
the  believers  and  the  doubters,  the  old  and  the 
young.  Let  him  pray  out  of  this  depth  of  con- 
viction, out  of  this  fulness  of  interest,  and  the 
congregation  will  become  more  or  less  interested 
too.  The  spirit  of  religion  is  as  contagious  as 
that  of  indifference,  and  will  pass  into  their  hearts, 
and  a  new  earnestness  will  manifest  itself  out- 
wardly, which  will  tend  to  perpetuate,  deepen, 
and  extend  the  spirit.  Earnest  persons  in  the 
congregation  will  become  more  in  earnest,  there 
will  be  a  real  revival  of  the  spirit  of  piety  and 
faith,  and,  without  changing  a  single  method, 
every  part  of  the  service  will  be  lifted  out  of 
deadness  into  life. 

Or,  on  the  other  hand,  something  may  be  done 


CHANGE    OF    FORMS.  155 

by  introducing  new  forms.  Any  kind  of  a 
change,  which  breaks  up  old  habits,  which  takes 
the  congregation  out  of  the  stereotyped  ways, 
may  often  tend  to  give  new  earnestness  to  the 
services.  Innovations  in  either  direction,  whether 
toward  more  of  Form,  or  more  of  Freedom, 
have  produced  a  deeper  life.  The  churches 
which  have  copied  Roman  Catholic  customs,  put- 
ting candles  on  the  altar,  and  the  like,  have 
usually  with  their  unimportant  novelties  gained 
an  important  increase  of  real  religious  interest. 
So,  too,  churches  which  have  thrown  away  forms 
and  simplified  worship  have  been  benefited.  Not 
that  the  change  in  itself,  and  absolutely,  was  ne- 
cessarily for  the  better,  but  by  the  change  they 
were  taken  out  of  the  grooves  of  form,  and 
thrown  upon  the  help  of  the  spirit. 

What  these  changes  of  method  and  form  shall 
be,  depends  much  on  the  character  and  circum- 
stances of  the  society.  They  should  not  be  in- 
troduced by  a  mere  majority  vote,  against  the 
wishes  of  a  respectable  minority,  since  the  ad- 
vantage gained  would  be  more  than  counter- 
balanced by  the  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  intro- 
duced into  the  congregation.  Such  changes  may 
be  made  the  subjects  of  interesting  and  useful 
discussion  in  the  meetings  of   the  society,  and 


156     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

may  be  gradually  introduced,  according  to  their 
wishes. 

We  do  not  mean  to  say  that  one  mode  of  wor- 
ship has  no  absolute  advantage  over  any  other. 
We  find  something  good  in  all,  but  some  no  doubt 
are  really  better  and  others  worse.  There  are 
vicious  extremes  of  too  much  of  Form,  running 
into  formalism,  —  of  too  little,  passing  into  dis- 
order. We  can  conceive  of  a  mode  of  worship 
which  should  combine  the  advantages  of  all 
others,  —  which  should  be  neither  bald  in  its  sim- 
plicity, nor  loaded  with  ornament  and  variety,  — 
in  which  the  congregation  should  take  part  orally 
as  well  as  mentally,  by  congregational  singing 
and  responses,  —  which  should  be  in  part  Liturgic 
and  in  part  Extemporaneous,  —  in  which  there 
should  be  seasons  of  silence  for  mental  prayer 
and  contemplation,  —  and  in  which  choral  and 
instrumental  music  should  be  alternated  with  the 
hymns  of  the  whole  congregation.  Such  a  wor- 
ship might  be  aided  by  the  construction  of  the 
building  and  its  ornaments.  The  house  should 
not  be  gloomy,  but  pervaded  by  a  cheerful  light, 
coming  mostly  from  above.  The  seats  should  be 
arranged  in  a  circular  form,  so  as  to  bring  the 
people  into  each  other's  view  as  well  as  into  that 
of  the  minister,  and  so  to  make  a  visible  com- 


CHURCH    ARCHITECTURE.  157 

munion.  Paintings  miglit  be  on  the  walls,  repre- 
senting the  Parables  of  Christ,  scenes  in  his  life, 
and  important  events  in  Church  history.  Thus 
a  truly  catholic  church  architecture  might  be 
produced,  equally  distant  from  the  baldness  of 
Puritanism,  and  the  gloom  and  closeness  of  the 
Roman  churches.  For  we  cannot  believe  that 
the  mediaeval  architecture,  beautiful  as  it  was  in 
its  time,  was  intended  for  all  time.  The  idea  of 
humanity  is  lost  sight  of,  the  congregation  are 
like  ants  crawling  on  the  floor ;  only  the  altar 
and  its  mass,  the  priesthood  and  their  ceremonies, 
are  of  consequence.  The  whole  of  Catholic  wor- 
ship consists  in  looking  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Mass,  —  the  whole  of  Puritan  worship  consists 
in  listening  to  the  prayers,  hymns,  and  sermon. 
This  looking  and  listening  needs  to  be  superseded 
by  a  higher  worship,  in  which  the  church  of 
brethren  and  sisters  shall  worship  in  communion 
with  each  other,  and  not  vicariously  by  priest  or 
preacher.  Then  the  house  of  worship  would  not 
be  only  a  floor  beneath  a  lofty  roof,  where  a  con- 
gregation stands  to  see  a  mass,  —  nor  pews  in  which 
they  sit  to  hear  a  sermon.  But  the  house  of  wor- 
ship would  be  a  home,  and  the  worshippers  therein 
a  family,  —  and  to  make  of  the  church  a  home  is 
the  surest  way  of  making  the  home  a  church. 

14 


158     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

<5>  32.     Liturgic  or  Extemporaneous. 

From  what  we  have  said  it  will  be  seen  that 
we  vote  neither  with  the  friends  of  a  Hturgy  nor 
with  their  opponents  in  the  much  debated  ques- 
tion concerning  forms  of  prayer.  We  believe 
the  best  form  of  worship  to  be  that  which  com- 
bines the  two  methods.  It  is  well  for  the  con- 
gregation to  take  part  in  the  worship  orally  as 
well  as  mentally,  for  thus  they  magnetize  each 
other  by  the  sound  of  their  voices,  and  the  utter- 
ance reacts  on  themselves.  But  a  liturgy  which 
is  fixed  and  unvarying,  and  which  leaves  no  place 
for  prayer  adapted  to  varying  circumstances  and 
needs,  becomes  a  routine  and  a  formality  to  many 
minds.  But  to  the  combination  suggested  of 
the  two  methods,  we  can  see  no  possible  objec- 
tion, and  wherever  it  has  been  tried,  it  has  been 
successful. 

§  33.     Stated   Times  and  Spontaneous. 

The  element  of  prayer  is  freedom  ;  and  ac- 
cordingly it  should  be  encouraged  to  utter  itself 
in  spontaneous  expressions  of  desire  gratitude, 
dependence,  contrition,  joy.  The  child  should 
have  that  confidence  in  his  Father,  that  he  can 
naturally  and  easily  say  to    Him   whatever  he 


FREEDOM    AND    REGULARITY.  159 

wishes,  without  formal  preparation.  Wherever 
there  is  a  true  union  between  the  soul  and  God, 
prayer  will  flow  out  freely  and  easily  as  the  prat- 
tle of  an  infant  at  its  mother's  knee.  It  will  not 
be  restrained  by  fear,  for  there  is  no  fear  in  love, 
nor  constrained  by  conscience,  for  love  is  the 
fulfilment  of  all  law,  nor  stiffened  by  a  for- 
mal propriety,  which  has  no  place  in  the  inter- 
course of  confiding  friendship.  The  best,  high- 
est prayers  are  always  most  spontaneous,  and 
wherever  the  spirit  of  prayer  is,  the  largest  part 
of  devotion  must  come  rather  from  an  impulse 
than  a  purpose.  The  child  does  not  say,  "  Go 
to,  I  will  make  a  speech  to  my  father,"  —  "  Come 
now,  it  is  time  to  tell  my  mother  that  I  love  her, 
and  to  ask  her  to  take  care  of  me  to-day."  There 
must  be  a  fountain  of  confiding  love  in  the  heart, 
which  easily  flows  out  in  prayer,  or  the  vitality 
of  devotion  is  wanting.  The  life  of  prayer, 
therefore,  is  spontaneity,  and  its  essential  element 
perfect  freedom. 

But  though  rules  are  not  appropriate  as  re- 
straint, they  may  be  useful  as  aids.  Prudent  ar- 
rangements may  come  in  as  auxiliary  to  impulse. 
To  pray  at  stated  times,  if  done  from  constraint 
and  as  a  matter  of  formal  duty  or  propriety,  is 
not  well ;  but  if  done  from  a  wise  desire  to  regu- 


160     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

late  life  to  the  best  advantage,  may  be  very  useful. 
We  merely  mean  to  oppose  the  opus  operatum 
view  of  prayer.  We  oppose  the  notion,  that,  when 
a  person  has  said  his  prayers  at  the  proper  times, 
once,  twice,  or  thrice  per  day,  he  has  done  his 
duty.  This  opus  operatum  view  pervades  all 
prayer,  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic,  but  is 
most  plainly  taught  in  the  latter  form  of  Christian 
belief.  It  is  for  instance,  a  rule  of  the  Roman 
Church  that  the  priest  shall  read  his  Breviary  or 
Prayer-book  one  hour  and  a  half  every  day. 
Accordingly,  you  find  the  priests  reading  their 
books  in  the  railroad-cars,  in  the  salles  d''attente, 
or  wherever  they  may  happen  to  find  a  spare 
minute,  looking  about  meanwhile  in  a  way  which 
shows  how  much  this  practice  has  become  a  mere 
lip-service.  And  how,  with  such  a  rule,  can  it 
be  any  thing  else  ?  But  that  one  should  arrange 
life  a  little,  and  appoint  himself  a  time  for  prayer 
is  natural  and  useful, — just  as  two  friends,  who 
love  each  other's  society,  may  appoint  certain 
hours  for  meeting,  and  arrange  their  other  duties 
so  as  to  secure  this  opportunity.  But  if  these 
two  friends  should  adopt  as  an  inflexible  rule  that 
they  should  talk  together  one  hour  and  a  half 
every  day,  the  life  of  their  intercourse  would 
soon  be  gone. 


TIMES    OF    PRAYER.  161 

It  is  therefore  proper  and  useful  to  fix  certain 
hours  for  prayer,  and  those  who  do  not  do 
this  will  not  be  likely  to  find  time  for  prayer. 
Regularity  is  not  necessarily  formality.  What 
these  times  shall  be,  depends  on  the  circum- 
stances of  the  individual.  The  morning  and 
evening  have  always  been  regarded  as  the  most 
suitable  seasons,  and  it  is  quite  an  advantage  if 
one  can  so  arrange  his  life  as  to  have  some  time 
at  the  beguining  of  the  day  to  consider  what  lies 
before  him  of  duty,  temptation,  social  intercourse, 
and  responsibility,  and  seek  for  God's  guidance 
and  help  to  meet  the  occasions  of  the  day  in  a 
true  spirit.  And  so,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  he 
does  well  who  never  goes  to  sleep  without  first 
looking  to  God  in  thankfulness,  penitence,  and 
reliance,  —  who  commits  himself,  his  family,  his 
friends,  to  that  Great  Guardian,  before  passing 
into  the  region  of  unconscious  repose.  And  here 
we  may  be  permitted  to  refresh  ourselves  and 
our  readers  with  the  familiar  luies  of  Henry 
Ware. 

"  To  prayer,  to  prayer !  for  the  morning  breaks, 
And  earth  in  her  Maker's  smile  awakes  : 
His  light  is  on  all  below  and  above, 
The  light  of  gladness,  and  life,  and  love. 
O,  then,  on  the  breath  of  this  early  air. 
Send  upward  the  incense  of  grateful  prayer ! 
14* 


162      THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

"  To  prayer !  for  the  glorious  sun  is  gone, 
And  the  gathering  darkness  of  night  comes  on : 
Like  a  curtain  from  God's  kind  hand  it  flows, 
To  shade  the  couch  where  his  children  repose. 
Then  kneel,  while  the  watching  stars  are  bright, 
And  give  your  last  thoughts  to  the  Guardian  of  night." 

'^  Never  forget,  my  boy,  to  say  your  prayers 
every  day,  morning  and  night,"  —  these  words, 
spoken  to  a  young  man  about  to  leave  his  father's 
roof  for  the  first  time,  we  have  known  to  prove 
his  preservation  amid  the  temptations  of  a  subse- 
quent career.  Let  then  spontaneity  be  joined 
with  regularity,  —  the  one  making  prayer  vital, 
the  other  making  it  habitual,  —  the  one  being  its 
life,  the  other  its  form,  —  the  one  its  soul,  and 
the  other  its  body.  Let  the  family  assemble  reg- 
ularly for  morning  or  evening  prayer,  let  a  mo- 
ment of  silence  or  a  word  of  thanksgiving  precede 
the  united  meal.  But  let  not  spontaneous  prayer 
be  excluded  nor  thought  indecorous  in  the  house- 
hold life.  When  the  thoughts  have  gone  into  a 
deeper  channel  than  usual,  when  the  conversa- 
tion has  been  on  serious  duty,  danger,  or  work, — 
when  the  heart  has  expressed  its  sense  of  need, 
the  mind  its  want  of  guidance,  —  then  let  it  be 
considered  natural  and  fit  for  friends  to  pray  for 
each  other,  for  a  moment  to  be  given  to  devotion. 
Would  not  such  a  conversation  have  a  fittinsr  end 


WITHOUT    CEASING.  163 

in  a  prayer,  and  would  it  not  be  very  proper  for 
one  asked  for  counsel,  or  trusted  with  confidence, 
to  say,  at  the  close  of  the  dialogue,  "  Shall  I  not 
pray  with  you,  now,  my  friend  ?  " 

§  34.    Without  Ceasing.     (See  §  13.) 

Unceasing  prayer,  therefore,  does  not  exclude 
stated  prayer,  but  rather  includes  it.  Out  of  its 
root,  in  a  heart  loving  to  dwell  near  to  God,  and 
a  life  ordered  and  regulated  so  as  to  continue  near 
to  him,  prayer  ascends  and  becomes  the  spirit 
which  animates  all  thought,  all  emotion,  all  activ- 
ity. Head,  heart,  and  hand  are  guided  by  a 
sense  of  a  divine  presence  and  love,  in  the  midst 
of  all  tasks  and  joys. 

"  The  morning  comes,  with  blushes  overspread, 
And  I,  new- wakened,  find  a  morn  within ; 
And  in  its  modest  dawn  around  me  shed, 
Thou  hear'st  the  prayer  and  the  ascending  hymn." 

Prayer  "  without  ceasing  "  does  not,  of  course, 
mean  an  unceasing  act  of  conscious  address  to 
God,  but  it  means  a  spirit  turned  habitually 
toward  God,  and  not  from  him.  Such  a  spirit 
will  make  it  natural  and  easy  to  speak  to  God 
whenever  occasion  arises,  —  natural  also  not  to 
speak  when  there  is  no  occasion.  It  makes  of  his 
service  perfect  freedom.     It  makes  us  feel  sur- 


164  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

rounded  and  upheld  by  everlasting  arms.  It  13 
not  only  the  result  and  crown  of  all  other  prayer, 
but  its  root  and  source.  For  it  really  would  seem 
that  we  cannot  pray  at  all,  unless  we  pray  with- 
out ceasing.  The  mind  must  be  either  alienated 
from  God  or  at  peace  with  him,  —  either  turned 
from  him  or  turned  toward  him.  But  a  mind 
alienated  from  God  cannot  pray,  does  not  feel 
able  to  pray,  is  conscious  that,  instead  of  a  Father 
to  speak  to,  there  is  only  a  void  inane.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  mind  at  one  with  God,  and  at  peace 
with  him,  is  always  in  the  sunshine  of  his  pres- 
ence, and  a  deep  sense  of  contact  and  commun- 
ion with  God  pervades  all  of  life,  and  is  the  root 
of  all  actual  prayer.  The  current  of  our  being 
sets  that  way,  and  carries  all  our  thoughts  easily 
upward  into  the  Divine  presence.  The  inmost 
language  of  the  heart  is,  — 

"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,  —  nearer  to  Thee,  — 
Even  though  it  be  a  cross  -which  raiseth  me." 

And  this  unceasing  prayer  of  the  heart  is  unceas- 
ingly answered  in  the  sense  of  progress,  in  the 
conviction  that  we 

"  nightly  pitch  our  moving  tent 
A  day's  march  nearer  home." 

Therefore,  when  the  Apostle  says,  "  Pray  with- 


TOPICS    OF    PRAYER.  165 

out  ceasing,  and  in  every  thing  give  thanks," 
he  is  not  setting  forth  some  uUimate  and  almost 
impossible  attainment  of  piety,  which  only  is  ac- 
complished by  here  and  there  a  saint,  half-liber- 
ated from  earth  and  sense.  He  is,  as  almost 
always,  speaking  to  us  all.  Those  who  pray  at 
all,  to  any  purpose,  pray  without  ceasing.  All 
real  Christians  pray  without  ceasing.  For  our 
uttered  and  stated  prayers  are  not  isolated  efforts 
of  piety ;  not  occasional  returns,  twice  or  thrice 
a  day,  out  of  worldliness  into  religion,  out  of 
atheism  into  devotion.  But  much  rather  are  they 
the  moments  when  the  steady  current  of  our  in- 
ward and  hidden  life,  flowing  ever  toward  Truth 
and  Goodness,  is  tossed  up  into  waves  and  jets 
of  conscious  God-seeking.  Prayer  without  ceas- 
ing is  the  "soul's  sincere  desire."  Conscious 
and  deliberate  prayer  is  that  sincere  desire  com- 
ing up  into  the  intellect  and  taking  shape  there. 
It  is  unceasing  prayer  alone  which  makes  occa- 
sional prayer  easy  and  eifectual. 

§35.  For  What?   Topics  of  Prayer.  (See  §  23.) 

Mr.  R.  W.  Emerson  in  his  Essay  on  Self-Reli- 
ance (Essays,  First  Series,  p.  67)  says  :  — 

"  That  which  we  call  a  holy  office  is  not  so 
much  as  brave  or  manly      Prayer  looks  abroad, 


166  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

and  asks  for  some  foreign  addition  to  come 
through  some  foreign  virtue,  and  loses  itself  in 
endless  mazes  of  natural  and  supernatural,  and 
mediatorial  and  miraculous.  Prayer  that  craves 
a  particular  commodity —  any  thing  less  than  all 
good  —  is  vicious.  Prayer  is  the  contemplation 
of  the  facts  of  life  from  the  highest  point  of  view. 
It  is  the  soliloquy  of  a  beholding  and  jubilant  soul. 
It  is  the  spirit  of  God  pronouncing  his  works 
good.  But  prayer  as  a  means  to  obtain  a  private 
end  is  meanness  and  theft.  As  soon  as  the  man 
is  at  one  with  God,  he  will  not  beg.  He  will 
then  see  prayer  in  all  action.  The  prayer  of  the 
farmer  kneeling  in  his  field  to  weed  it,  the  prayer 
of  the  rower  kneeling  with  the  stroke  of  his  oar, 
are  true  prayers  heard  through  all  nature,  though 
for  cheap  ends." 

Mr.  Emerson  here  speaks  in  his  Stoical  mood. 
This  view,  so  concisely  expressed  in  the  above 
passage,  is  the  one  we  have  been  opposing 
through  our  whole  Essay.  Prayer  does  "  look 
abroad  and  asks  for  some  foreign  addition,"  — 
for  the  man  who  prays  has  learned  that  his 
strength  lies  in  passing  out  of  his  own  small  life, 
and  opening  himself  to  influences  wholly  above 
and  beyond  him.  He  has  ceased  to  be  self-sus- 
tained, and  so  is  all-sustained.      Prayer  is  not 


STOICAL    OBJECTIONS.  167 

"  contemplation,"  but,  as  Mr.  Emerson,  turning 
round  at  the  end  of  the  paragraph,  himself  says, 
it  is  action.  It  is  not  "  soliloquy,"  but  dia- 
logue. To  say,  with  Mr.  Emerson  at  one  mo- 
ment, that  prayer  is  contemplation,  and  then  to 
call  it  action,  —  to  say  it  is  the  soliloquy  of  the 
soul,  and  then  to  call  it  the  utterance  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  —  is  to  confound  things  which  ought  to  be 
distinguished,  —  it  is  to  "  huddle  and  lump  "  what 
should  be  "  sundered  and  divisible."  Meditation 
is  one  thing,  action  is  another.  If  we  propose  to 
reflect  and  meditate,  let  us  say  so,  —  let  us  not 
call  it  prayer. 

Mr.  Emerson  objects  to  prayer  which  craves 
"  a  particular  commodity,"  and  then  says  that  the 
farmer  kneeling  to  weed  his  field  makes  a  true 
prayer.  But  that  is  for  a  particular  commodity, 
—  for  a  cheap  end.  Is  it  prayer  then,  or  is  it 
not.? 

Undoubtedly  Mr.  Emerson  means  that  we  ought 
to  work  for  these  "  commodities,"  and  not  to  pray 
for  them.  But  why  then  confound  the  two } 
Why  call  work  by  another  name,  not  its  own. 
Mr.  Emerson  defines  prayer  to  be  a  soliloquy,  a 
contemplation.  Is  there  no  distinction,  then,  be- 
tween contemplation  and  action  } 

And  can  any  one  tell  why  it  is  brave  and  man- 


168     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ly  to  work  for  a  particular  commodity,  and  vicious 
to  pray  for  it.  When  my  child  is  sick,  I  apply 
baths  and  use  means  to  restore  his  health,  —  and 
I  also  ask  God  to  bless  those  means.  Why  is  the 
lirst  "  brave,"  and  the  second  "  meanness  and 
theft "  ? 

Was  it  meanness  and  theft  in  those  who  asked 
Jesus  to  come  and  heal  their  children,  and  did  he 
encourage  their  meanness  in  going  to  them  and 
.helping  them  ?  If  we  may  ask  man's  help  in  our 
difficulties,  why  may  we  not  ask  God's  help,  with- 
out this  reproach .?  Is  there  a  logician  who  can 
tell  us  that .? 

He  who  takes  a  Stoical  view  of  God,  nature, 
i.nd  man,  will  very  naturally  think  it  vicious  to 
pray  for  any  particular  commodity.  This  view 
•/huts  God  out  of  nature,  and  shuts  man  up  in 
himself.  It  pushes  independence  and  individual- 
ity in  every  thing  to  unlimited  results.  It  sees 
only  law,  not  love,  in  the  relation  of  God  to  na- 
ture, and  erects  an  order  in  the  universe,  salu- 
tary for  classes,  but  cold  to  the  individual.  Prov- 
idence is  a  benevolent  Fate,  and  God's  relation 
to  the  world  is  only  that  of  Law-sustainer. 

But  with  the  view  of  God  and  of  nature  which 
we  have  endeavored  to  enforce  as  the  Christian 
view,   all    objections   to   particular   prayers   fall 


WHAT    WE    BIAY    PRAY    FOR.  169 

away.     We  may  ask  for  spiritual  and  for  tem- 
poral   blessings,  —  for    Pardon,    Peace,    Truth, 
Strength,  Joy,  Love,  —  for  opportunities  of  use 
fulness,  —  for  wisdom  to  meet  difficulties  and  con^ 
quer  temptations.      We   may  ask  for  ourselves 
and  others,  health,  and  all  outward  support,  op 
portunity,  and  means.     So  too  may  we  ask  sue 
cess  in  all  our  daily  enterprises  and  labors. 

We  may  ask  for  others,  as  for  ourselves 
There  are  those  whom  we  can  help  in  no  other 
way,  whom  we  can  meet  in  no  other  way,  whom 
we  can  meet  and  help  in  prayer.  The  mother's 
prayer  for  her  absent  child  reaches  far  over  the 
ocean,  and  on  distant  seas  puts  peace  into  his  heart, 
and  wisdom  for  imminent  exigency  into  his  mind. 

We  may  pray  for  the  living,  and  why  not  also 
for  the  dead  ?  I  believe  that  only  Protestant  hos- 
tility to  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory  has  caused  the 
discontinuance  of  prayers  for  the  dead.  The 
doctrinal  objection  that  the  condition  of  the  dead 
is  finally  determined,  and  cannot  be  altered  by 
our  prayers,  has  no  foundation  either  in  Scripture 
or  Reason.  That  it  has  none  appears  from  the 
proofs  adduced  in  support  of  it,  consisting  usually 
of  a  text  in  Ecclesiastes,  "  In  the  place  where 
the  tree  falleth,  there  it  shall  lie,"  and  two  lines 
of  Dr.  Watts,  — 

15 


170     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

"  There  are  no  acts  of  pardon  passed 
In  the  cold  grave  to  which  we  haste." 

But  there  is  absolutely  nothing  in  the  New 
Testament  forbidding  such  prayers,  and  since 
they  are  prompted  by  natural  feeling,  this  is 
equivalent  to  their  permission,  —  on  the  principle, 
"  If  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you."  Rea- 
son and  the  nature  of  things  prompt  us  to  believe, 
that  those  who  leave  this  world  imperfect  in 
character,  enter  the  next  state  beyond  this  imper- 
fect. They  do  not  become  so  different  from  us, 
but  that  they  may  profit  by  our  prayers  still. 

There  is  nothing,  therefore,  which  interests  us 
in  this  world,  but  may  come  specially  before  God 
in  prayer.  Things  which  man  despises  has  God 
chosen.  To  him  nothing  is  common  or  unclean, 
nothinoj  insicrnificant  which  moves  the  hearts  of 
his  children.  If  trifles  affect  us,  then  let  trifles 
be  spoken  of  in  our  prayer,  and  that  which  is 
trifling  in  the  topic  will  be  lost  in  the  interest  of 
communion  with  our  Heavenly  Father. 

§  36.     To  lohom  7     Object  of  Prayer. 

An  important  question,  not  to  be  wholly  passed 
over,  concerns  the  Object  of  Prayer.  To  whom 
shall  we  pray  ? 

1.  The  Unitarian  answers,  To  the  Father 
only. 


OBJECT    OF    PRAYER.  171 

2.  The  Trinitarian  says,  To  the  Father,  the 
Son,  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  Trinity. 

3.  The  Roman  Catholic  adds,  Also  the  Virgin 
Mary  and  the  Saints,  —  making  a  distinction,  how- 
ever, between  Latria  and  Dulia,  i.  e.  the  sort  of 
worship  addressed  to  God  and  that  to  the  saints. 

The  Unitarian  in  support  of  his  position  quotes 
•the  most  positive  texts  of  Scripture  ;  for  ex- 
ample,— 

John  iv.  23.  "  The  hour  cometh  and  now  is 
when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the 
Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  &c. 

John  xvi.  23.  "  In  that  day  "  (namely,  after 
Christ's  resurrection)  "  ye  shall  ask  vie  nothing. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it 
you." 

LuKe  xi.  2.  "  When  ye  pray,  say.  Our  Father:' 

The  Unitarian  also  argues,  that  such  a  complex 
object  of  worship  as  is  presented  by  the  Trinity 
is  adapted  to  confuse  the  mind,  and  that  such  a 
worship  is  in  many  respects  exposed  to  the  evils 
of  polytheism. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Trinitarian  contends 
that  God,  out  of  Christ,  is  an  abstraction,  —in- 
capable of  meeting  the  wants  of  the  heart.  He 
says  that  God  assumes  a  personal  character  as 


172     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

manifest  in  the  flesh,  and  that  we  can  speak  to 
Him  as  to  one  near  us,  and  having  sympathy 
with  us.  The  Trinitarian  also  endeavors  to  find 
support  in  the  New  Testament,  contending  that 
"  to  call  on  the  Lord  "  is  equivalent  to  prayer  to 
Jesus. 

The  Roman  Catholic  defends  the  invocation  of 
the  saints  by  means  of  the  distinction  before  re- 
ferred to.  He  says  that  he  does  not  worship  the 
saints  as  he  worships  God,  but  differently.  He 
addresses  them  as  living  beings,  in  a  higher 
world,  full  of  sympathy  for  those  below,  and  asks 
their  prayers  and  intercessions  with  God.  If  to 
ask  a  good  man,  who  is  yet  in  this  world,  to  pray 
for  you,  involves  nothing  objectionable,  and  is 
not  worship,  why  is  it  objectionable  to  ask  him 
to  pray  for  you,  after  he  has  gone  into  the  other 
world  }  If  we  may  pray  for  the  dead,  why  may 
not  the  dead  pray  for  us  .?  If  it  be  said  that  to 
ask  any  thing  of  an  invisible  being  is  to  wor- 
ship him,  it  may  be  replied  that  the  question  of 
worship  cannot  depend  on  the  fact  of  visibility ; 
otherwise  it  would  be  considered  objectionable  to 
ask  any  favor  of  a  friend  in  the  night-time, 
and  a  blind  man  ought  to  ask  no  favors  at  all. 
Or  it  may  be  said,  that  to  ask  of  those  in  the  other 
world  implies  their  presence  with  worshippers  in 


PRESENCE    OF    SPIRITS.  173 

different  lands,  therefore  their  omnipresence,  and 
therefore  is  giving  to  them  a  divine  and  incom- 
municable attribute  of  the  Deity.  But  to  this 
also  the  reply  is  easy.  To  be  present  in  ten  dif- 
ferent places,  or  in  a  thousand  different  places,  is 
not  omnipresence.  A  man  speaking  in  public  is 
present  by  his  thought  to  a  thousand  auditors  at 
once,  through  the  medium  of  sight  and  sound. 
A  man  who  writes  a  book,  or  an  article  in  the 
newspaper,  is  present  by  his  thought  to  ten  thou- 
sand readers  in  different  places,  through  the  me- 
dium of  his  book.  The  operator  with  an  elec- 
tric telegraph  is  present,  through  the  medium  of 
his  wire,  to  all  the  offices  on  the  route  at  the 
same  moment.  Therefore  it  may  easily  be  that 
spirits  out  of  the  body  may  be  present  by  their 
thought  and  perception,  and  by  some  medium  of 
which  we  are  now  ignorant,  to  a  great  many  per- 
sons and  places  at  once.  There  is  no  impossibil- 
ity, nor  even  any  improbability,  of  this  being  the 
case.     And,  surely,  if  the 

"  Saints  on  earth,  and  all  the  dead, 
But  one  communion  make," 

this  view  will  make  the  communion  a  reality,  and 

will  bring  the  other  world  much  nearer  to  this  one. 

A  practical  objection,  however,  to  this  Roman 

15^ 


174     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Catholic  doctrine  remains,  and  is  not  so  easily 
disposed  of.  Granting  the  distinction  between 
Latvia  and  Dulia,  between  the  worship  paid  to 
God  and  to  the  saints,  will  that  distinction  be 
regarded  ?  Will  it  not  be  lost  sight  of  in  prac- 
tice, and  will  not  the  saints,  as  being  nearer  to  us, 
gradually  attract  to  themselves  all  the  worship, 
so  that  none  remains  to  be  paid  to  the  Father  ? 
Facts  authorize  and  confirm  this  fear.  There  is 
no  doubt  that,  in  Italy,  nine  tenths  at  least  of  all 
prayer  is  addressed  to  the  Virgin,  and  goes  no 
farther.  Every  city  has  its  patron  saint,  who  is 
the  object  of  especial  worship,  and  whose  altar  is 
thronged  with  kneeling  devotees.  Such  is  the 
case  with  Saint  Januarius  at  Naples,  Saint  Charles 
Borromeo  at  Milan,  and  Saint  Petronio  at  Bologna. 
A  little  incident  occurred  to  us  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  latter  city,  which  tends  to  show  that 
the  distinction  of  worship  is  often  lost  sight  of. 
A  party  of  travellers  were  descending  the  long 
portico  leading  to  the  Church  of  the  Madonna  of 
St.  Luke,  on  the  top  of  the  Monte  della  Guardia, 
near  Bologna,  and  met  some  children  going  up. 
We  stopped  to  talk  with  them,  and  found  they 
were  going  up  to  say  their  prayers  to  the  saints 
and  to  the  Madonna.  We  asked  them  in  the 
course  of  the  conversation  which  they  loved  best, 


PRAYER  TO  THE  FATHER.         175 

God  or  the  saints.  A  bright  boy  about  thirteen 
years  old  replied,  —  "  We  love  them  in  the  same 
way,"  —  nella  stessa  maniera.  If  they  loved 
them  in  the  same  waj^,  they  would  be  likely  to 
worship  them  in  the  same  way  too.  This  shows 
that  such  invocation  of  saints  is  to  be  guarded 
with  great  care,  and  is  attended  with  special  dan- 
gers. 

The  result  of  this  examination  would  therefore 
bring  us  to  something  like  the  following  results. 

1.  All  prayer  should  be  addressed  to  the  Father, 
but  to  the  Father  as  revealed  and  manifested  in 
the  Son.  We  pray  not  to  an  abstract  or  philo- 
sophic God,  but  to  Him  who  has  shown  himself  to 
us  in  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus,  as  a  person- 
al friend.  We  worship  and  adore  Him  who  has 
shown  himself  in  Christ  so  loving  the  world  and 
so  loving  sinners  as  to  wish  to  pardon  all,  and 
save  every  human  being  from  the  power  and  the 
guilt  of  sin.  God,  thus  seen  in  Christ,  is  the 
only  object  of  religious  supplication  and  divine 
worship.  He  is  the  only  ultimate  source  of  all 
spiritual  and  temporal  good. 

2.  Since  we  believe  that  Christ  is  with  us 
always  (Matt,  xxviii.  20),  that  he  has  not  left  nor 
deserted  the  world,  but  is  still  near  to  it  as  a  Sav- 
iour and  Friend,  we  may  speak  to  him  as  though 


176  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

he  were  present,  asking  his  sympathy,  uttering 
our  love,  thanking  him  for  his  friendship.  This 
has,  in  fact,  been  usual  with  Unitarians  in  their 
hymns,  for  all  our  hymn-books  contain  addresses 
to  Jesus;  as,  for  example, — 

"  Lord  Jesus,  come  !  for  here 
Our  paths  through  wilds  are  laid,"  &c. 

"  Jesus,  my  living  Head, 
I  bless  thy  faithful  care,"  «&;c. 

"  Jesus,  Prince  of  Peace,  be  near  us, 
Fix  in  all  our  hearts  thy  home." 

3.  The  distinction  between  prayer  to  God  and 
addresses  to  Christ  consists  in  this,  that  we  re- 
gard all  that  Christ  has  done  or  does  for  us  as 
done  by  mediation,  by  intercession,  by  derived 
power.  He  is  a  dependent  being,  like  ourselves, 
though  so  much  higher  and  more  exalted. 
Therefore,  all  that  he  has  done  for  us  we  refer 
back  to  his  Father  and  our  Father,  to  his  God 
and  our  God,  as  its  ultimate  source.  And  what- 
ever we  ask  of  him  is  in  the  way  of  mediation 
and  intercession  only. 

4.  But  as  there  is  danger  of  this  distinction 
being  forgotten  in  practice,  it  is  best  that  all 
prayer,  public  or  private,  should  be  addressed  to 
the  Father  through  the  Son,  and  that  the  Son  him- 


COMMUNION    WITH    JESUS.  177 

self  be  not  addressed  in  supplication.  There  will 
still  remain  room  for  private  and  personal  com- 
munion with  Jesus,  in  the  way  of  conversation 
rather  than  worship,  —  by  hymns,  by  spontaneous 
expressions  of  love  and  trust  and  earnest  interest, 
such  as  come  naturally  to  the  lips  when  we  feel 
that  an  object  of  sincere  attachment  is  near  us, 
though  unseen. 

5.  And  the  same  is  true  as  regards  other  de- 
parted spirits,  whether  those  who  are  called 
saints,  or  any  others.  They  are  ministering 
spirits,  they  are  objects  of  interest  and  affection. 
We  are  not  sure  that  they  are  near  us,  or  that 
they  can  hear  us  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  are 
not  sure  of  the  contrary.  So  that  if  our  heart 
prompts  it,  we  may  address  them,  we  may  open 
our  soul  to  them,  but  not  pray  to  them.  Let 
prayer  remain  for  God,  whom  we  do  know  to 
be  always  near,  and  always  conscious  of  our 
thoughts. 


178 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MOTIVES    AND    RESULTS. 

§  37.     Necessity  and  Advantage, 

To  live  without  prayer  is  to  live  without  com- 
munion with  God.  But  this  is  to  live  away  from 
God,  and  to  separate  ourselves  from  him  as  far 
as  is  possible  for  the  human  being  to  escape  from 
his  Maker.  We  cannot  go  away  from  the  poiver 
of  God,  for  that  is  around  us  at  all  times,  and 
everywhere.  We  are  leaning  on  his  arm,  up- 
held by  his  hand,  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
at  every  moment.  We  cannot  go  away  from  the 
love  of  God.  For  that  pursues,  and  surrounds, 
and  blesses  us  still,  however  little  we  may  de- 
serve it.  But  we  may  go  away  from  God  by 
turning  away  from  him,  by  forgetting  him  and 
neglecting  him.  We  have  the  power  of  thus 
turning  away,  of  closing  our  eyes  inwardly,  and 
opening  them  only  outwardly ;  closing  them  to- 
ward heaven,    and  opening  them  toward    earth. 


ALIENATION    FROM    GOD.  179 

We  have  this  terrible  freedom  of  escaping,  if  we 
choose,  from  the  restraining  sense  of  the  Divine 
Presence,  and  so  doing  our  own  will,  without  the 
immediate  rebuke  of  conscience.  Most  men  are 
thus  turned  away,  and  it  is  this  which  makes  it 
hard  to  pray  and  easy  to  sin.  No  man  can  pray 
earnestly  and  sin  readily  at  the  same  time.  We 
must  either  leave  off  sinning,  or  leave  off  praying. 
Consequently  most  men,  whether  they  are  great 
sinners  or  outwardly  decent  and  moral,  are  really 
alienated  from  God.  The  proof  of  it  is  easy.  It 
is,  that,  though  He  is  always  near  to  them,  they 
are  not  aware  of  it,  and  the  thought  and  sense  of 
his  nearness  never  restrains  them  from  commit- 
ting evil.  The  presence  of  a  good  man  will  re- 
strain the  tongue  of  the  ribald  and  the  profane,  — 
the  presence  of  the  most  insignificant  human  be- 
ing influences  them  more  or  less,  —  but  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Deity  does  not  influence  them  at  all. 
Therefore  it  is  evident  that  they  do  not  feel  His 
presence,  —  that  they  are  alienated  from  Him. 
Now,  when  we  have  repented  of  our  sins,  and 
determined  to  lead  a  religious  life,  and  have  be- 
gun to  do  so,  we  shall  nevertheless  find  that  this 
alienation  from  God  has  not  become  impossible. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  shall  find,  in  all  probabili- 
ty, that,  by  allowing  ourselves  to  commit  appar- 


180     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ently  slight  transgressions,  we  have  again  lost 
the  quick  sense  of  the  surrounding  God,  and 
wandered  again  from  our  Father's  house.  In 
this  case  prayer  becomes  a  matter  of  necessity, 
and  prayer  not  as  a  gush  of  feeling,  not  as  an 
indulgence  of  sentiment,  but  prayer  as  an  act,  an 
earnest  act  of  turning  to  God,  and  holding  the 
soul  open  to  his  influences,  and  to  be  fed  and 
renewed  by  his  inflowing  life.  The  Christian 
comes  to  learn,  by  frequent  experience,  that  he 
cannot  live  without  prayer.  And  so  he  prays 
daily  and  hourly,  not  as  a  duty,  but  as  a  neces- 
sity,—  prays  z^Aen  it  is  necessary,  be  it  seldom 
or  often,  —  prays  till  the  need  is  supplied,  till 
the  hunger  has  ceased,  till  the  empty  soul  is  filled, 
till  his  weakness  has  been  made  strength,  till  his 
weariness  has  changed  to  inward  rest.  And  then, 
having  prayed  from  necessity,  he  prays  again  spon- 
taneously, the  prayer  of  thanksgiving  and  grati- 
tude, the  acknowledgment  of  this  new  life.  And  if 
again  he  finds  himself  astray,  he  prays  by  con- 
fessing his  sin,  by  owning  his  estrangement,  by 
beseeching  pardon  and  reconciliation  and  peace. 
And  when  in  union  with  God,  and  not  praying 
from  necessity,  or  for  himself,  he  prays  for  oth- 
ers ;  he  prays  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  the 
coming  of  peace,  truth,  and  love  to  the  world ; 


MOTIVES.  181 

he  prays  for  union  in  the  Church,  for  practical 
Christianity  among  Christians,  for  the  ignorant, 
the  poor,  the  afflicted,  for  the  slave  and  the  op- 
pressed, for  the  vicious  and  abandoned,  for  the 
infidel  and  the  heathen.  Then  also  he  finds 
pleasure  in  remembering  before  God  individuals. 
He  intercedes  for  his  friends,  according  to  what 
he  supposes  their  needs,  temptations,  and  trials 
may  be.  He  enjoys  bringing  them,  one  by  one, 
before  the  mercy-seat,  and  doing  for  them  in 
prayer  what  he  can  do  for  them  in  no  other  way. 
Thus  we  pray,  from  such  motives  as  these.  Out 
of  necessity,  because  we  are  away  from  God, 
and  are  therefore  weak,  and  must  pray  to  gain 
strength  ;  because  we  are  wretched,  and  must 
pray  in  order  to  gain  comfort.  Out  of  grati- 
tude, because  our  heart  is  happy,  our  cup  full, 
our  life  advancing ;  and  joy  overflows  into  prayer. 
Out  of  love,  because  we  wish  to  help  our  brother, 
our  sister,  and  we  cannot  help  them  in  any  other 
way  than  this.  Out  of  interest  in  Christ's  cause, 
out  of  wish  to  make  his  kingdom,  out  of  faith  in 
the  good  time  near  at  hand.  Out  of  penitence, 
because  we  cannot  find  peace  till  we  go  to  our 
Father  and  say,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sumer !  " 

16 


182     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

§  38.   Prayer  a  Duty  or  a  Privilege. 

Next  let  us  look  more  closely  at  the  relation 
of  prayer  to  our  other  duties. 

In  using  the  phrase  "  other  duties,"  I  have 
implied  that  prayer  is  a  duty ;  and  in  one  sense 
it  may  be  so  considered.  It  is  a  duty  to  pray, 
just  as  it  is  a  duty  to  live  on  terms  of  affectionate 
intimacy  and  intercourse  with  our  father  and  our 
mother,  our  wife  and  children.  But  it  is  not  a 
duty  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  our  duty  to  tell 
the  truth  or  to  pay  our  debts.  In  other  words,  it 
does  not  belong  to  that  class  of  duties  in  which 
the  outward  act  is  the  principal  thing.  A  man 
ought  to  tell  the  truth,  he  ought  to  pay  his  debts, 
no  matter  in  what  frame  of  mind  he  does  it.  But 
what  would  you  think  of  a  son  or  daughter  who 
should  make  it  a  rule  to  go  to  their  father  so 
many  times  a  day,  and  express  their  gratitude  to 
him  in  a  formal  manner  for  his  love  and  paternal 
care  exercised  over  them  }  The  moment  that  the 
expression  of  affection  was  made  a  duty,  in  this 
sense  of  the  word,  the  moment  it  became  a  for- 
mality, a  task-work,  a  piece  of  routine,  you  would 
expect  it  to  become  a  cold  and  difficult  matter 
enough,  and  you  would  not  wonder  to  hear  the 
child  complaining  that  his  filial  affections  were 


TWO    REGIONS    OF    LIFE.  183 

growing  very  cold,  under  such  a  system.  But  in 
the  same  way  we  often  freeze  our  rehgious  af- 
fections, by  making  it  a  mere  matter  of  duty  to 
pray  so  much  and  so  often  every  day,  instead  of 
regarding  prayer  in  its  truer  light  as  the  highest 
joy,  the  freest  and  happiest  privilege  allotted  to  us 
here  below. 

The  whole  life  of  a  religious  man  falls  into  two 
grand  divisions,  and  all  his  actions  belong  to  the 
one  or  the  other.  The  one  is  the  region  o^ piety ^ 
the  other  the  region  of  morality.  Piety  and 
morality,  united,  make  up  religion.,  or  the  whole 
life  of  a  Christian.  The  region  of  morality  is 
under  the  Law  ;  it  is  a  stern  and  rugged  clime, 
a  land  of  restraint,  of  effort,  of  struggle,  of  battle. 
The  performance  of  duty,  the  doing  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  this  is  the  problem  of  morality.  Here 
the  Christian  must  be  ready  to  labor,  to  endure 
constraint,  to  undergo  hardship,  to  fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith,  to  do  with  his  might  whatever  his 
hand  finds  to  do,  knowing  that  there  is  neither 
work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom, 
in  the  grave,  whither  he  is  hastening. 

But  when  our  overtasked  strength  faints  amid 
the  toils  of  life,  when  we  are  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  then  we  turn  into  that  other  land,  —  the 
land   of  the    Gospel,  of  pious  trust  and  joy,  — 


184     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYElv. 

where  the  heart  can  repose  in  the  bosom  of  God, 
and  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 
This  should  not  be  a  land  of  constraint,  but  of 
freedom.  Joy  and  love,  faith  and  hope,  a  happy 
sense  of  a  divine  guardianship,  —  these  are  the 
angel  spirits  which  hover  over  that  divine  region. 
There  is  no  fear  in  love,  for  perfect  love  caste th 
out  fear.  Where  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there 
is  liberty. 

But  now  it  is  a  sad  mistake  when  that  part  of 
our  life  which  should  be  free  and  light  as  air  is 
bound  with  chains,  —  when  that  which  should  be 
a  joy  becomes  a  task,  —  when  the  staff  which 
should  sustain  us  is  added  to  the  burden  which 
oppresses  us,  —  when  the  cordial  of  refreshment  is 
changed  into  the  bitter  cup  of  trial.  Yet  this  is 
done  when  we  make  moral  duties  out  of  Christian 
privileges.  Prayer,  if  any  thing,  should  be  the 
most  solemnly  joyful  act  of  our  lives.  How  often 
it  is  degraded  into  a  task  !  The  Sabbath,  if  any 
thing,  should  be  a  day  of  rest  and  refreshment 
for  the  weary  body  and  the  weary  soul.  How 
often  it  is  transformed  into  the  heaviest  burden 
we  have  to  carry  !  The  Church,  the  assembling 
together  of  Christian  friends,  should  be  the  hap- 
piest meeting  in  the  world ;  there  should  be 
seriousness   without   gloom,  earnestness   without 


PIET-^   AND    MORALITY.  185 

anxiety,  cheerfulness  without  excess,  freedom  yet 
order,  a  pervading  sympathy  of  heart,  felt  rather 
than  spoken.  Instead  of  this,  what  do  we  often 
have  ?  Frozen  forms,  of  which  time  has  eaten 
away  the  once  living  core  ;  a  heavy,  languid,  in- 
dolent multitude  going  through  a  dreary  routine 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  —  listening  to  scholastic 
harangues,  or  rhetorical  orations,  or  theological 
quibbles. 

What  is  the  cause  of  all  this  ?  It  comes  from 
disregarding  the  limits  of  things,  confounding 
together  the  different  parts  of  life,  not  distin- 
guishing what  ought  to  be  distinguished,  and  so 
losing  piety  in  morality. 

Piety  and  morality  ought  not  to  be,  and  cannot 
be,  separated  in  any  man's  life  ;  but  they  can  be 
distinguished,  though  not  separated.  Piety  can- 
not exist  without  morality,  nor  morality  without 
piety,  yet  they  are  not  the  same  thing.  So  the 
stalk  cannot  exist  without  the  root,  nor  the  root 
without  the  stalk  ;  yet  they  are  not  the  same  thing, 
nor  should  their  spheres  be  confounded.  It 
would  not  do  to  put  the  stalk  into  the  ground  and 
the  root  in  the  air.  Nor  is  it  right  or  wise  to 
subject  prayer,  which  is  a  part  of  piety,  to  those 
constraints  which  properly  belong  to  morality. 

There  is  one  class  of  Christians  who  make 
16* 


186     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTKINE    OF    PRAYER. 

piety  the  whole  of  religion ;  there  is  another  class 
who  make  morality  the  whole  of  religion.  I  be- 
lieve that  there  is  a  third  and  increasing  class, 
who  have  learned  that  religion  is  made  up  of 
hotli^  —  that  these  are  the  two  faces,  the  opposite 
poles,  of  the  religious  life,  —  and  who  know  how 
to  distinguish  them  without  dividing  them. 

In  describing  the  true  way  to  cultivate  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  we  must  say  that  to  pray  merely 
as  a  duty  rather  hinders  than  helps  it.  But  let 
the  mind  and  heart  be  pervaded  with  the  convic- 
tion of  those  great  truths  which  constitute  the 
Gospel,  —  the  character  of  God  as  our  spiritual 
Friend  and  Father ;  the  mission  of  Christ  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  soul  from  sin  and  ruin  ;  the  promise 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  all  believers  who  seek  for  it ; 
the  love,  the  trust,  the  encouragement,  the  prom- 
ises of  the  Gospel,  the  everlasting  presence  of 
a  spiritual  Friend ;  God  nigh  at  hand  and  in  our 
heart,  as  the  Comforter,  the  Holy  Spirit.  Sink- 
ing deep  into  the  centre  of  these  truths,  and  so 
being  filled  with  a  spirit  of  trust,  never  to  be 
shaken,  in  God  as  our  tenderest  friend,  we  shall 
always  be  ready  to  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of 
grace  to  find  help  in  time  of  need.  We  shall 
have  that  sense  of  a  Divine  Presence  which  shall 
cause  us  to  pray  without  ceasing,  —  though  our 


TIME    AND    METHOD.  187 

prayers  will  be  often  only  a  throb  of  gratitude,  or 
a  sudden  aspiration  of  love,  or  the  soul  falling 
down  in  humility,  and  bowing  itself  before  God. 
And  then,  too,  we  shall  find  a  place  and  a  use 
for  times  of  prayer,  and  for  a  certain  degree  of 
method  and  system  in  prayer.  For  we  have  al- 
ready seen  and  said  that  spiritual  and  true  prayer 
need  not  be  immethodical  and  without  system. 
On  the  contrary,  every  one  can  see  that  some 
method  is  right  here,  and  necessar}'-,  as  in  other 
things.  It  does  not  prove  my  friendship  insin- 
cere, that  I  say  to  my  friend  when  we  part, 
"  Let  us  write  to  each  other  at  least  twice  a 
week,"  or,  "  Let  us  look  eveiy  evening,  at  a  cer- 
tain hour,  at  a  particular  star,  and  think  of  one 
another."  If  the  letter-writing  and  star-looking 
are  done  merely  as  a  duty,  it  will  be  bad,  and  if 
the  method  of  prayer  be  retained  when  its  life  is 
gone,  this  is  also  bad.  But  every  pious  heart 
must  feel  that  God,  in  the  veiy  arrangements  of 
nature,  and  in  the  ordinances  of  the  heavens, 
says  to  us,  "  In  the  morning  think  of  me,  in  that 
calm  hour  which  I  send  you  before  the  toil  and 
din  of  life  commences ;  and  in  the  evening  think 
of  me  ;  after  it  is  over,  when  the  holy  stars  pour 
quiet  upon  the  earth,  then  remember  me."  And 
so,  too,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  we  shall  rejoice  in 


188     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

the  opportunity  for  a  closer  walk  with  God. 
Times  and  forms  have  their  place,  and  their  use. 
But  do  not  let  the  soul  wear  them,  as  David  wore 
the  cumbrous  armor  of  Saul,  which  he  had  not 
proved,  and  which  was  only  an  encumbrance. 

The  whole  of  the  teaching  and  example  of 
Jesus  on  the  subject  of  prayer  confirms  the  view 
we  have  now  taken.  He  does  not  speak  of 
prayer  as  a  duty,  but  as  a  privilege.  He  does 
not  lay  down  strict  and  formal  rules  for  prayer  ; 
he  does  not  command  fixed  hours  of  prayer.  He 
tells  us  not  to  use  vain  repetitions,  not  to  think  to 
be  heard  for  our  much  speaking.  It  is,  "  Ask, 
and  ye  shall  receive."  This  is  the  motive  for 
prayer  which  he  sets  before  us.  And  in  the 
parable  w^iich  teaches,  "that  men  ought  always 
to  pray,  and  not  to  faint,"  we  see  that  this 
"  ought "  means  only  to  encourage  us  to  perse- 
vere in  prayer,  and  not  be  discouraged  because 
the  strength  or  the  peace  which  we  need  does  not 
immediately  come.  And  the  fact  that  every 
thing  which  is  told  us  of  the  prayers  of  Jesus  is 
so  incidental^  proves  that  he  himself  gave  no 
countenance  to  the  prayer  of  mere  duty. 

There  are  those,  doubtless,  who  may  appre- 
hend danger  from  such  a  view  as  this.  They 
will  fear  that,  except  men  be  urged  to  pray  as  a 


PRAYER    NOT    COMMANDED.  189 

duty,  they  will  not  pray  even  as  much  as  they  do 
now.  And  undoubtedly  this  is  true  to  a  certain 
extent.  Those  who  have  been  praying  merely 
from  a  sense  of  duty  will  be  glad  to  leave  off 
praying  altogether,  and  with  them  to  "  pray  with- 
out ceasing  "  will  amount  to  not  praying  at  all. 
It  is  unquestionably  the  case,  that,  when  prayer 
is  enjoined  as  a  duty,  there  is  a  great  deal  more 
of  the  form  of  prayer  than  when  it  is  made  the 
free-will  offering  of  the  heart.  Nowhere  in 
Christendom  is  there  so  much  earnest  outiuard 
prayer  as  in  Mohammedan  countries.  There, 
when  the  hour  of  prayer  is  sounded  from  the 
minaret,  men  fall  on  their  knees  in  the  streets, 
in  the  market,  wholly  absorbed  in  the  act,  so  that 
you  might  almost  run  over  them  and  they  would 
not  notice  you.  Nowhere  in  Protestant  churches 
is  there  such  absorbed  and  constant  prayer  as 
among  the  Catholics.  "  At  that  time,"  says 
Luther  in  his  Table-talk,  "  my  wife  asked  me, 
'  How  is  it  that  in  the  Romish  Church  there  is  so 
much  and  such  fervent  prayer,  while  we  are 
very  cold  and  careless  in  our  praying  ?  '  "  The 
answer  of  the  Reformer,  though  ungraciously 
worded,  had  a  truth  in  it,  —  "  The  Devil,"  says 
he,  "  drives  them  to  pray."  It  is  the  spirit  of 
constraint,  of  anxiety,  of  fear ;    not  of  love,  or 


190     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

cheerful  faith,  which  makes  up  a  great  deal  of 
such  prayer.  And  so,  in  Protestant  communions, 
those  who  take  the  most  liberal  views  will  al- 
ways be  found  behind  the  others  in  religious  zeal 
and  the  observances  of  piety.  But  what  then  ? 
We  do  not  find  that  all  this  formal  prayer  tends 
to  build  up  a  holier  or  more  godly  life  in  Moham- 
medan countries  than  in  Christian  ;  in  Catholic 
countries  than  in  Protestant ;  in  the  stricter  sects 
of  Protestantism  than  in  the  more  free.  I  do  not 
find  that  Episcopacy,  with  its  forms,  has  made  a 
more  godly  people  than  Quakerism,  with  its  ex- 
treme and  utter  informality.  Yet  let  us  not  run 
into  either  extreme.  Let  us  use  forms,  and  ob- 
serve seasons  and  times,  so  that  they  may  help 
us,  and  not  hinder  us. 

§  39.     The  Holy  Spirit. 

The  great  result  of  Prayer  is  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  was  given  originally  in  the 
Christian  Church  in  answer  to  prayer,  either  of 
the  believer  himself,  or  of  some  one  else  for  him. 
The  order  of  the  Christian  life  was,  first.  Faith  ; 
next.  Repentance  ;  next,  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  in  order  to  make 
the  believer  wholly  a  Christian,  and  no  one  was 
considered  to  be  a  Christian  wholly  till  he  had 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  191 

received  the  Holy  Ghost.  By  Faith  he  became 
a  Christian  in  thought,  by  Repentance  he  became 
a  Christian  in  action,  and  then  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
he  was  made  a  Christian  in  heart  and  life.  But 
all  which  he  himself  needed  to  do,  in  order  to  re- 
ceive this  gift,  was  to  believe  in  it,  and  to  ask  for 
it.  Without  it,  he  stood  on  the  lower  plane  of  a 
mere  believer  in  Christianity  ;  with  it,  he  had 
Christ  formed  within  him,  the  hope  of  glory. 
He  was  made  thus  a  living  Christian,  full  of  faith, 
hope,  and  love.  From  this  fulness  of  inward 
life,  his  outward  life  came,  as  the  stream  flows 
from  its  fountain,  pushed  forward  for  ever  by  a 
power  behind.  It  was  this  inward  life,  hidden 
with  Christ  in  God,  which  gave  him  energy,  gave 
him  patience,  gave  him  insight  and  foresight, 
fitted  him  for  his  sphere  and  work,  made  him 
ready  to  live  or  to  die. 

The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  then,  at  first,  was 
an  essential  part  of  the  Christian's  life.  Is  it  any 
less  essential  now  ?  Can  we  be  truly  and  living- 
ly  and  efiectually  Christians,  without  constant 
prayer  to  God  for  his  Spirit,  and  the  constant  re- 
ception of  it  as  daily  bread,  the  source  of  daily 
life  ?  I  see  not  how.  I  see  a  poor  and  meagre 
Christianity,  built  up  by  opinions  about  Jesus,  ex- 
erting itself  to  fulfil  a  sphere  of  duty  more  or 


192     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

less  extended  ;  —  but  how  cold  and  cheap  a  thing 
is  this  compared  with  Christian  life!  What  wo 
need  is  a  life  steadily  fed  from  within  by  God,  a 
life  of  Insight,  of  Foresight,  of  Love,  of  Action. 
This  life  should  develop  at  once  every  individual 
tendency  in  the  soul,  and  also  those  deeper  con- 
victions and  aims  in  which  all  souls  are  one. 
But  let  us  see  further  what  this  life  is,  and  what 
are  its  results. 

§  40.     Christ  in  the  Heart.  —  Inward  Life. 

The  Life  which  results  from  Prayer  is,  in  the 
first  place,  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  heart.  This 
alone  makes  one  fully  a  Christian.  For,  accord- 
ing to  the  New  Testament,  Christianity  is  not  a 
creed,  nor  a  transient  emotion,  nor  an  outward 
behavior,  but  an  inward  and  an  outward  life.  It 
is  called  in  the  New  Testament  by  this  name,  but 
with  the  adjective  "  Eternal,"  in  order  to  distin- 
guish it  from  temporal  or  bodily  life.  For  Eter- 
nal Life,  in  the  New  Testament,  by  no  means 
implies  immortality,  or  a  continuation  of  our  out- 
ward existence,  but  much  rather  inward  immor- 
tality, or  spiritual  life.  As  temporal  life  is  the 
life  of  the  soul  in  time,  fed  out  of  time,  so  eter- 
nal life  is  that  life  of  the  soul  which  is  fed  out  of 
eternity.     It  is  not  merely  continued  existence  j 


INWARD    LIFE.  193 

for  while,  as  we  believe,  all  will  contmae  to  ex- 
ist, eternal  life  is  conditional ;  it  comes  through 
faith,  —  through  faith  in  Jesus  and  his  words, — 
"  the  meat  which  endureth  unto  everlasting  life." 
(John  vi.  27.)  It  is  continually  repeated,  that 
"  whosoever  believeth  in  Jesus  shall  have  ever- 
lasting life."  (John  iii.  15,  16.)  It  is  also  said, 
that  eternal  life  already  commences  in  this  world, 
and  that  "  he  that  believeth  hath  everlasting  life 
ahiding  in  him  "  ;  which  also  indicates  a  present, 
and  not  a  future  immortality.  And  yet  again  we 
read,  that  "  this  is  life  eternal,  to  know  "  God  and 
Christ ;  which  implies  that  it  is  a  state  of  con- 
viction, an  inward  life. 

The  natural  type  and  emblem  of  this  higher  life 
is  our  bodily  life.  As  the  body  lives  by  means  of 
the  indwelling  soul,  so  the  soul  lives  by  means  of 
the  indwelling  spirit.  The  soul  of  man  which 
gives  life  to  the  body  receives  itself  a  higher  life 
from  the  spirit.  By  means  of  the  soul,  the  body 
ceases  to  be  a  machine,  only  moved  by  external 
forces,  but  is  filled  and  pervaded  throughout  with 
an  activity  of  its  own.  And  so  by  means  of  the 
spirit  the  soul  ceases  to  be  moved  and  swayed  by 
the  world  without,  by  earthly  passions  and  de- 
sires, but  reacts  freely  from  its  own  steadfast  con- 
victions and  purposes,  moves  freely  toward  its 
17 


194     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

own  chosen  aim.  This  steadfast  life  is  that 
which  Christ  promised  his  disciples  as  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  continually  dwells  upon  it 
in  the  last  chapters  of  John,  as  that  which  is  to 
make  all  things  new  within  their  souls,  to  give 
them  new  convictions  of  truth,  to  bring  all  things 
to  their  remembrance,  and  to  teach  them  more 
hereafter  than  they  were  then  capable  of  receiving. 
The  Holy  Spirit  was  to  be  the  Comforter,  to  com- 
fort them  in  the  outward  absence  of  their  Master, 
by  bringing  them  inwardly  near  to  him.  He  con- 
tinually repeats,  in  every  varying  way,  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  a  divine  influence  on  the  heart  to 
bring  them  near  to  himself.  "  He  shall  take  of 
mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you."  "  He  shall  tes- 
tify of  me."  So  that  it  is  in  fact  Christ  himself 
returning  inwardly  to  them,  after  having  left  them 
outwardly.  This  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
who  was  to  abide  with  them  for  ever,  whom  the 
world  did  not  know  but  whom  they  knew,  who 
dwelt  with  them  and  was  to  be  in  them,  —  what 
was  this  but  Christ  himself  ?  This  he  says  in  ex- 
press terms  :  "  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless,  I 
will  come  to  you."  He  predicts  the  most  inti- 
mate union  between  his  disciples,  himself,  and 
God, — whoever  loves  him  shall  see  him,  shall 
live  by  his  life.     (John  xiv.  15-23.)    And  this  is 


CHRIST    IN    THE    HEART.  195 

not  to  be  a  transient  visit,  but  a  permanent  abode. 
"  My  Father  and  I  will  love  him,  and  we  will 
come  to  him,  and  make  our  ahode  with  him." 

Now,  who  does  not  see  that  this  inward,  per- 
sonal  communion  with  Christ,  through  the  medium 
of  the  Father's  influence,  is  the  one  thing  most 
needed,  both  for  private  and  public  Christianity. 
Because  we  are  not  living  thus  inwardly  near  to 
Christ,  inwardly  fed  by  his  life,  our  souls  want 
strength,  beauty,  peace,  profound  conviction,  and 
power.    We  are  weak  and  vacillating,  because  we 
have  only  opinions  and  not  convictions.     Instead 
of  knowing  God  and  knowing  Christ,  instead  of 
seeing  the  truth,  we  have  only  probable  belief 
concerning  it.     Instead  of  a  fixed  aim  steadily 
pursued,  we  are  swayed  to  and  fro  by  the  fluctua- 
tions of  worldly  opinions  around  us.     Instead  of 
inward  peace  and  satisfaction,  derived  from  con- 
stant intercourse  with  God  and  constant  recep- 
tion of  his  forgiving  love,  we  are  beset  with  dis- 
content,   self-reproach,    and    spiritual     anxiety. 
Thus  weak  in  ourselves,  we  cannot  make  others 
strong.     Having  nothing  ourselves,  we  can  give 
nothing  to  others  ;  for  it  is  giving  ourselves  which 
does  good. 

"  Not  what  we  give,  but  what  we  share, 
Eor  the  gift  without  the  giver  is  bare." 


196     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Therefore  we  cannot  be  what  every  Christian 
ought  to  be,  —  the  "  salt  of  the  earth,"  the  "  hght 
of  the  world,"  a  fixed  axis  around  which  other 
things  shall  revolve.  The  Christian  who  is  in- 
wardly near  to  Christ,  is  like  one  who  should  be 
able  to  see  the  stars  in  the  daytime,  and  thus 
have  the  power  to  determine  the  position  and  di- 
rection of  every  thing  around  him.  He  ought  to 
give  law  to  the  world  ;  to  judge  it,  its  maxims,  its 
customs,  by  a  higher  standard,  —  to  be  always  its 
censor,  its  sibyl,  its  oracle.  But  without  the  in- 
ward life  he  is  able  to  do  nothing  of  this,  he  be- 
comes a  mere  echo  of  the  public  opinion  about 
him,  and  he  loses  all  power  of  real  usefulness. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  that,  as  long  as  the 
Christian  has  the  Bible  in  his  hands,  he  ought  to 
be  able  to  resist  this  tendency.  But  w^e  read  the 
Bible  as  we  read  every  thing  else,  by  means  of 
our  own  experience,  and  by  the  light  of  our  own 
present  belief.  We  see  in  it  more  or  less  what 
we  bring  with  us.  The  truths  in  the  Bible 
must  be  spiritually  discerned.  Every  thing  that 
we  read  we  necessarily  translate  as  we  read 
it,  so  as  to  bring  it  into  some  harmony  with  our 
previous  stock  of  ideas.  Hence  the  Bible  is 
made  to  teach  all  sorts  of  doctrines,  to  defend  all 
kinds  of  abuses,  to  oppose  every  reform,  and 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  197 

keep  the  world  and  Church  from  the  development 
which  God  intends.  The  Bible  is  made  an 
anchor  holding  the  Church  fast  in  the  flowing 
current  of  time,  instead  of  a  compass  by  which 
its  course  may  be  guided  to  more  blessed  shores. 
Therefore,  to  understand  the  Bible,  we  need  an 
inward  life,  rooted  in  Christ,  and  fed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Now,  there  are  three  false  views  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which,  at  the  present  day,  prevent  our 
Christianity  from  being  a  life ;  prevent  us  from 
realizing  this  constant  peace  which  is  also  light 
and  strength ;  prevent  us  from  being  able  to  say 
that  "  our  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  and 
from  understanding  the  Apostle  when  he  de- 
clares, "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  who  lives  in 
me."  These  false  views  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are 
those  which  make  its  influences  arbitrary, — 
which  make  its  influences  irresistible,  —  and 
which  make  of  it  a  third  person  distinct  from 
Christ  himself  Taking  either  of  these  views,  we 
are  impeded  in  our  prayers,  or  prevented  from 
praying  the  prayer  of  Faith. 

An  opinion  prevails  in  the  Church,  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  given  arbitrarily,  and  not  according 
to  any  fixed  law.  Men  speak  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  coming  and  going,  as  sometimes  being  in  one 


198    THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF   PRAYER. 

place  and  sometimes  in  another ;  they  speak  of 
God's  withholding  it,  and  often  show  in  their 
prayers  that  they  are  quite  uncertain  as  to 
whether  the  Spirit  will  be  given  or  not.  Of 
course  they  cannot  pray  the  prayer  of  Faith,  but 
only  a  doubtful  and  hesitatmg  prayer.  The 
Holy  Spirit  ceases  to  be  an  habitual  presence, 
God  and  Christ  making  their  abode  in  the  heart, 
but  becomes  a  transient  influence,  a  sudden  in- 
cursion of  God  into  the  soul ;  it  is  no  longer  the 
still,  small  voice,  but  rather  the  whirlwind  and 
the  fire.  But  this  view  is  surely  opposed  to  the 
whole  doctrine  and  spirit  of  the  New  Testament. 
Christ  teaches  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  always 
given  to  those  who  ask  it,  and  that  it  would  be  as 
impossible  for  God  to  refuse  it,  as  for  a  good 
parent  to  give  his  child  a  stone  instead  of  a  piece 
of  bread.  And  accordingly,  throughout  the  New 
Testament,  it  is  assumed  that  these  divine  influ- 
ences make  up  a  constant  part  of  the  Christian 
life.  Christians  are  taught  to  pray  "  in  the 
Holy  Spirit";  the  Spirit  is  said  "to  dwell  in 
us " ;  we  are  taught  that  we  are  "  led "  by  it, 
that  it  gives  us  our  faith  in  Christ,  gives  us  the 
sense  that  we  are  the  children  of  God,  enables 
us  to  call  God  Father,  helps  us  to  pray,  and  is, 
in  sum,  the  source  of  every  part  of  a  Christian's 


THE    SPIRIT    NOT    A    PERSON.  199 

life.  All  Christians  drink  into  one  spirit,  and 
though  they  have  various  gifts  of  faith  or  knowl- 
edge, yet  the  source  of  all  is  the  same.  We  are 
to  "  live  in  the  Spirit,"  and  "  walk  in  the  Spirit," 
and  "  sow  to  the  Spirit,"  and  so  we  shall  have 
"  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  love,  joy,  and  peace." 
Its  influences  are  compared  with  the  regular 
operations  of  nature.  If  we  sow  to  the  Spirit,  we 
shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting.  It  is  a 
steady  light  and  warmth  in  the  soul,  which  we 
are  not  to  quench  ;  a  friend  ever  near,  whom  we 
are  not  to  grieve  away.  Therefore  we  may  be 
sure  that  at  every  moment,  under  all  circumstan- 
ces, God  is  waiting  to  be  gracious ;  we  have  only 
to  open  the  door  of  the  heart,  and  he  enters ;  we 
have  only  to  turn  in  to  the  depths  of  the  soul,  and 
we  find  our  life,  "  our  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 
Another  false  view  concerning  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  that  which  makes  of  it  a  separate  per- 
son from  Christ  himself.  The  Scripture  view,  as 
given  in  the  Gospel  of  John,  is,  as  we  have  seen, 
that  through  God's  influence  on  the  heart  we  are 
brought  into  inward  relation  with  Christ.  For  as 
Christ  brings  us  to  the  Father,  so  the  Father 
leads  us  to  the  Son.  Thus  God  and  Christ  come 
and  make  their  abode  in  the  heart.  He  who  be- 
lieves this  always  prays  to  God  to  be   brought 


200     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

near  to  Christ ;  the  object  to  whom  h.e  prays  is  the 
Father,  the  aim  of  his  prayer  is  union  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  But  now,  if,  instead  of  this 
simple  and  exquisite  relation,  instead  of  this  union 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son  for  which  Christ 
prayed,  asking  it  for  his  disciples,  we  have  a 
third  and  distinct  personality  introduced,  it  not 
only  confuses  the  mind,  but  interferes  with  the 
great  object  of  the  prayer.  We  know  what  we 
need  when  we  ask  for  Christ,  for  we  have  his 
historic  life  and  his  recorded  words  as  a  guide. 
We  know  what  Christian  experience  is,  we  know 
Faith,  Hope,  Love,  Humility,  Patience ;  but  the 
Holy  Spirit,  as  a  separate  person^  we  do  not 
know.  Consequently  there  is  something  foreign 
in  this  idea.  It  does  not  mingle  easily  with  the 
regular  flow  of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  always 
looked  for  as  a  preternatural  influence  out  of  the 
course  of  nature  ;  and,  consequently,  with  this 
view  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  our  prayers  will  be  less 
regular,  less  constant,  less  connected  with  the 
fulness  of  Christian  life.  Hence  it  is  that  those 
who,  in  theory,  accept  the  doctrine  of  the  distinct 
personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  set  it  aside  so 
much  in  their  prayers.  The  devotions  of  Chris- 
tendom do  not  recognize  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
object  of  prayer,  in  the  same  way  that  they  rec- 


THE    SPIRIT    NOT    IRRESISTIBLE.  201 

ognize  the  Father  and  the  Son.  Most  of  the 
devotion  of  the  Church  is  offered  to  the  Father,  as 
Christ  directed  all  to  be.  But  for  consistency's 
sake,  and  also  because  there  is  a  personal  attach- 
ment to  Jesus,  a  small  portion,  perhaps  a  fifth 
or  a  tenth  part  of  the  whole,  is  addressed  to  him. 
But  seldom  indeed  is  the  Holy  Spirit  addressed 
as  a  distinct  person.  So  much  wiser  are  Chris- 
tian instincts  than  Christian  opinions.  Yet  these 
false  opinions  come  in  to  confuse  and  trouble  the 
mind,  and,  so  far  as  they  exercise  any  influence, 
exercise  a  pernicious  one. 

The  third  false  view  to  which  I  referred  is  that 
which  makes  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  irresist- 
ible. This  view,  directly  opposed  to  the  Scrip- 
ture, comes  only  from  the  desire  for  logical  con- 
sistency in  those  who  accept  a  Calvinistic  view 
of  divine  influence.  The  Scripture  tells  us  not 
to  "  quench  the  Spirit,"  not  to  "  grieve  the 
Spirit,"  to  "  draw  nigh  to  God  and  he  will  draw 
nigh  to  us."  The  doctrine  of  the  Scripture  is, 
that  it  is  always  in  our  power  to  open  or  to  close 
the  door  of  the  heart ;  that  it  becomes  closed  to 
God  by  sin  ;  that  all  wilfulness,  worldliness,  anxi- 
ety, selfishness,  shuts  out  God  and  Christ.  Then 
the  soul  is  left  barren,  cold,  empty,  incapable  of 
any  true  virtue.     What  can  we  do  then  ?     We 


202     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

cannot  by  an  act  of  the  will  create  within  the 
heart  Christian  sentiments  and  graces  ;  we  can- 
not by  moral  effort  create  within  the  soul  generosi- 
ty or  love.  What  can  we  do  ?  We  can  open 
the  door;  we  can  let  God's  influence  come  into 
the  heart  to  lead  us  to  Christ,  to  give  us  a  sense 
of  his  pardoning  love,,  to  lift  us  to  a  higher  plane 
of  conviction.  And  this  is  prayer  in  its  most 
essential  nature. 

When  we  take  this  view  of  prayer,  —  when  the 
Church  takes  this  view,  —  what  a  change  will 
take  place  in  the  inward  life  of  Christians ! 
Those  views  of  Christianity  which  are  now 
thought  mystical,  will  be  seen  to  be  the  only 
truly  rational  ones.  The  doctrines  of  Christian 
perfection  which  are  regarded  as  heresies,  being 
better  understood,  will  be  recognized  as  integral 
parts  of  Christian  truth.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
whole  of  a  Christian's  life  must  flow  from  God 
and  Christ,  and  that  prayer,  or  keeping  open  the 
soul  to  God,  must  be  without  ceasing.  It  will  be- 
seen  that  to  live  in  the  Spirit  is  the  only  true  life ; 
that  we  are  away  from  ourselves  when  we  are 
away  from  God ;  that  to  keep  ourselves  thus  in 
the  love  of  God  is  in  reality  easier  than  to  alter- 
nate from  moods  of  worldliness  to  moods  of  piety. 
Then  the  word  Piety  will  no  more  indicate  some- 


TRUE    PIETY.  203 

thing  strange  or  foreign,  something  grafted  into 
the  soul  from  without,  but  will  be  seen  to  be  the 
life  of  the  soul  according  to  its  own  highest  law. 
This  piety  will  be  in  nothing  ascetic  ;  it  will  be 
full  of  joy  and  cheerfulness,  because  it  partakes 
every  day  of  the  true  wine  of  life.  It  will  have 
no  anxiety  about  outward  things,  or  inward  things, 
trusting  always  in  God  for  all.  It  will  not  seek 
as  its  aim  to  save  its  soul,  knowing  that  its  soul 
is  safe  while  it  is  near  God.  It  will  not  serve 
God  from  hope  of  heaven,  or  fear  of  hell,  but 
because  his  service  is  perfect  freedom.  Its 
goodness  will  not  be  that  of  effort  and  struggle, 
its  life  will  not  be  hard  work,  but  God  working 
within  the  heart  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good 
pleasure.  Its  maxim  will  not  be,  "  To  work  is  to 
pray,"  but  "  Work  out  of  Prayer."  And  its 
prayer  will  be  thanksgiving  and  gratitude,  to- 
gether with  supplication,  for  perfect  love  will 
have  cast  out  fear. 

"  Heavenly  Father,  Life  Divine ! 
Change  my  nature  into  thine  ! 
Move  and  spread  throughout  my  soul, 
Actuate  and  fill  the  whole  ! 
Be  it  I  no  longer  now 
Living  in  tlie  flesh,  but  Thou." 


204     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

§  41.  Christ  in  the  Character.  — Moral  Culture. 

The  effect  of  Prayer  when  thus  explained  as 
Lif'^j  flowing  from  God,  is  very  important  in  its 
moral  resuhs.  If  our  aim  be  the  perfection  of 
our  moral  nature,  we  may  set  about  it  in  two 
ways.  We  may  make  direct  attempts  for  the 
cultivation  of  certain  virtues,  and  for  the  repres- 
sion of  certain  vices,  taking  them  up  one  by  one 
as  a  matter  of  discipline.  Or,  we  may  labor  on 
the  whole  instead  of  the  parts,  by  living  in  the 
Spirit,  living  near  to  God  and  Christ,  and  so 
learning  also  to  walk  in  the  Spirit.  Both  meth- 
ods are  good,  but  the  second  is  the  most  thorough. 
It  is  the  method  of  Nature,  which  works  upon  all 
parts  of  the  plant  at  the  same  time,  by  filling  the 
whole  with  life.  The  great  thing  needed  for 
moral  development  is  more  vital  power.  Love 
will  make  all  things  new.  A  profound  influence 
in  the  centre  of  the  soul  will  cause  all  parts  of 
life  to  bud  and  blossom  and  bear  fruit. 

This  great  change  in  the  character  produced  by 
a  new  inward  life  flowing  from  God,  is  continu- 
ally referred  to  and  described  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  "  putting  off  the  old  man,  and  put- 
ting on  the  new  man,  who  after  God  is  created 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness."     It  is  spoken 


CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  205 

of  as  the  "  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  love,  joy,  peace, 
long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meek- 
ness,   temperance.'"      It  is   building    one's   self 
up  in  the   Holy  Ghost.     It  is   described  as  be- 
coming a  new  creature :    "  If  any   man  be    in 
Christ,  he   is  a  new  creature ;   old   things  have 
passed   away,   all    things    have    become    new." 
And  how  these  expressions  are  illustrated  by  the 
wonderful  change  which  took  place  in  the  char- 
acters of  the  Apostles  after   the  Ascension    of 
Jesus,  and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost !     Certainly 
they  all  became   new  creatures ;    certainly   old 
things  passed  away,  and  all  things  became  new. 
What  an  immense   development  took   place    in 
each    under   the    influence    of  this    inward   life 
flowing  from  God  !     How  the  specialities  of  char- 
acter in  Peter,  James,  John,  Paul,  were  brought 
out  by  the  indwelling  spirit.     It  did  not  give  an 
outward  discipline,  but  an  inward  development. 
It  was  not  training,  but  education,  that  is,  the 
educing  each   man's  most  intimate   and  special 
character,  as  the  sun  of  spring  educes  the  life  of 
every  seed  according  to  the  separate  law  of  its 
organization.      This    is    the    difference    between 
moral    training    and    moral    education.      Moral 
traming  gives  us  some  outward  type  to  be  imi- 
tated, some    outward   example    to    be    followed, 
18 


206     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

some  outward  law  to  be  obeyed.  But  moral  edu- 
cation is  the  growth  of  the  soul,  "  first  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  afterward  the  full  corn  in  the  ear." 
Now,  religion  has  been  made  too  much  an  out- 
ward discipline,  and  too  litde  an  inward  develop- 
ment. Men  have  been  trained  according  to  some 
one  type  of  character ;  in  the  Catholic  Church 
by  the  rule  of  different  orders,  the  rule  of  St. 
Benedict,  the  rule  of  St.  Francis,  or  St.  Loyola. 
And  moral  discipline  as  laid  down  in  Protestant 
books  of  ethics  has  been  always  too  much  an  out- 
ward conformity  to  some  excellent  model,  too 
little  a  growth  from  within.  But  in  the  New 
Testament  it  is  not  so.  We  do  not  read  there  of 
the  Imitation  even  of  Christ,  and  nothing  is  said 
of  modelling  one's  self  after  Christ,  much  less 
after  Paul  or  John.  What  we  are  to  do  is  not  to 
imitate  Christ,  but  to  "  grow  up  in  all  things  into 
him  who  is  our  head,  even  Christ  Jesus." 

In  this  growth  was  shown  the  possibility  of  un- 
folding individual  distinctions,  even  w^iile  obeying 
a  common  law.  They  grew  up  by  the  same 
Christian  progress  into  identity  and  diversity,  into 
the  most  profound  central  unity  of  conviction, 
aim,  experience, —  into  the  most  marked  diver- 
sity of  taste,  tendency,  faculty.  Peter,  James, 
John,  Paul,  —  how   wholly   different  from  each 


VARIETY    IN    UNITY.  207 

Other  do  they  appear  m  their  writings,  and  yet 
how  profoundly  at  one  in  their  central  convic- 
tions !  The  unity  and  variety  of  character  in 
these  four  Apostles  is  the  sufficient  proof  of  what 
otherwise  might  seem  doubtful,  that  a  profound 
spiritual  influence  develops  all  that  is  individual 
in  character,  while  it  brings  all  these  individuali- 
ties into  harmony  with  each  other. 

These  varieties  of  development,  unfolded  under 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  seem  to  be 
described  in  the  New  Testament,  by  the  phrase 
"  gifts  of  the  Spirit."  The  description  given  us  by 
Paul  (1  Cor.  xii.)  of  spiritual  gifts,  points  directly 
at  this  variety  in  harmony,  which,  as  it  has  been 
called  the  principle  of  beauty,  may  also  be  called 
the  principle  of  goodness.  Paul  speaks  of  diver- 
sities of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit,  and  how  the 
Spirit  gives  to  one  man  the  word  of  wisdom,  to 
another  the  word  of  knowledge,  and  the  like. 
Pie  compares  this  variety  in  unity  to  the  variety 
in  unity  of  the  human  body.  His  purpose  in  this 
place  leads  him  to  regard  this  variety  of  Chris- 
tian faculty  as  resulting  from  variety  of  spiritual 
influence  ;  but  though  he  does  not  give  the  reason 
for  the  variety,  nor  say  why  the  Spirit  should  give 
to  one  man  wisdom,  and  to  another  man  knowl- 
edge, we  cannot  suppose  that  this  is  without  rea- 


208   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

son,  or  arbitrary.  As  no  reason  is  given,  we  are 
at  liberty  to  assume  that  reason  which  is  the  most 
probable,  and  accordingly  we  may  infer  that  the 
influence  of  the  Spirit  developed  various  faculties, 
according  to  original  differences  of  organization. 
In  this  case,  the  development  being  sudden  made 
it  seem  more  like  a  pure  gift.  A  man  finds  him- 
self suddenly  in  the  possession  of  a  special  facul- 
ty, the  power  of  prophecy,  of  healing,  of  working 
miracles,  and  he  naturally  regards  it  as  a  new 
faculty  imparted  by  God  wholly  ab  extra.  But 
there  was  probably  the  basis  in  his  nature  for  the 
special  gift.  The  influence'  ah  extra  was  the 
same  Divine  Spirit,  but  within  each  individual 
was  to  be  found  the  reason  of  the  diversity  of 
result. 

But  the  great  difference  between  moral  train- 
ing and  moral  growth  is  to  be  found  in  the  dif- 
ferent motive  power  and  the  difference  in  the 
results.  Moral  training  is  a  painful  struggle  from 
a  sense  of  duty  to  form  habits  of  virtue  by  the 
mere  force  of  individual  will.  Moral  growth  is 
a  happy  unfolding  of  spiritual  faculties  from  love 
to  God,  and  by  the  power  of  his  indwelling 
Spirit.  In  the  one  case  it  is  all  struggle  and  con- 
flict, in  the  other  it  is  life  and  growth.  In  the 
one  case  it  is  a  task  carried  on  with  anxiety  and 


GROWTH    THROUGH    THE    SPIRIT.  209 

discouragement ;  in  the  other  no  task,  no  toil,  but 
the  opening  of  the  heart  to  receive  heavenly 
gifts,  in  the  firm  faith  that  all  needful  power  will 
be  imparted.  And  because  anxiety  palsies  and 
weakens,  because  confidence  gives  strength, 
therefore  the  success  in  the  tv/o  methods  is  also 
very  different.  The  great  power  in  man  which 
enables  him  to  accomplish  important  results  for 
himself  or  others,  is  not  the  unaided  will,  but  the 
faculty  of  putting  himself  in  harmony  with  the 
great  tides  of  life  which  flow  from  God,  and  flow 
through  the  race.  He  who  works  from  himself 
can  do  something,  but  he  who  works  from  God 
can  do  every  thing.  "  I  can  do  nothing  of  my- 
self," is  the  still  stronger  statement  of  the  Apos- 
tle,—  "I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who 
strengthens  me." 

When,  therefore,  prayer  shall  become  the  ele- 
ment of  all  Christian  life,  when  the  heart  shall  be 
always  kept  open  toward  God,  when  we  shall  live 
in  the  Spirit,  and  walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  thus 
have  God  and  Christ  abiding  within  us,  there  will 
be  a  great  development  of  moral  character  in  all 
directions.  The  virtues  now  painfully  cultivated, 
starveling  plants  pinched  by  frost  and  withered 
by  heat,  will  grow  up  fair  and  fruitful  out  of  this 
inward  life.  Christian  character  will  not  be 
18* 


210     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

formed  after  one  model,  nor  a  monotonous  repeti- 
tion of  external  forms,  but  healthfully  varied  by 
all  that  is  original  and  free  and  natural  in  human 
organization.  Then  shall  virtue  be  also  beauty, 
not  harsh  and  hard  conscience,  not  crabbed  mo- 
rality, but  graceful  and  harmonious  as  the  sights 
and  sounds  of  nature. 

"  Serene  shall  be  our  day  and  bright, 
And  happy  shall  our  nature  be, 
When  love  is  an  unerring  light, 
And  joy  its  own  security." 

§  42.     Christ  in  the  Church.  —  Christian  Union 
and  Cooperation. 

When  prayer  thus  pervades  all  of  life,  its  in- 
fluence will  be  felt  in  the  Church,  in  many  new 
ways.  The  prayers  of  the  Church  are  now  more 
or  less  spasmodic  and  irregular.  The  ideas  of 
the  Church  concerning  the  answer  to  prayer 
make  of  it  too  much  a  magical  influence,  disturb- 
ing the  laws  of  the  mind.  When  instead  of  this, 
the  answer  to  prayer  is  seen  to  be  a  part  of  the 
universal  order,  and  prayer  thus  becomes  regu- 
lated, and  is  the  source  of  all  our  activity,  a  love 
v/ill  flow  from  God  into  the  Christian  Church, 
which  will  enable  it,  first,  to  be  in  union  with  it- 
self, and,  secondly,  to  convert  the  world.     The 


CHRISTIAN    UNION.  211 

life  of  God  flowing  first  into  the  individual  soul, 
then  developing  all  forms  of  Christian  character, 
will  afterward  bring  the  Christian  Church  into  its 
true  unity. 

The  great  need  of  the  Protestant  Church  at  the 
present  time  is  union,  as  the  great  need  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  is  freedom.  This  union 
is  sought  for  by  Protestants  in  all  ways ;  they  try 
to  produce  a  unity  of  form  like  that  of  the  Cath- 
olics, but  they  find  it  impossible  ;  they  tiy  to 
produce  unity  of  opinion  by  means  of  creeds, 
but  every  new  creed  is  like  a  wedge  introduced 
into  a  denomination  to  split  it  in  twain.  By  and 
by  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  union  needed  is  not 
that  of  opinion,  nor  of  form,  but  unity  of  spirit 
and  action.  The  power  of  the  Protestant  Church 
is  in  its  sects  ;  its  weakness  is  in  its  sectarianism. 
Its  sects,  with  their  various  forms  of  opinion, 
worship,  and  religious  manifestation,  adapt  them- 
selves to  all  varieties  of  human  character.  Those 
who  cannot  be  moved  by  the  Episcopalians  are 
converted  by  the  Methodists ;  those  who  are  not 
reached  by  the  Presbyterians  are  found  by  the 
Quakers  ;  a  peculiar  class  of  minds  are  fed  out 
of  the  cup  of  Swedenborg  ;  and  some  who  cannot 
believe  without  their  understanding,  or  against 
their  reason,  come  naturally  to  the  Unitarians. 


212     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Thus  one  sect  is  the  hand,  one  the  eye,  one  the 
foot,  one  the  brain,  and  one  the  heart,  —  many 
members,  but  not  one  body.  This  variety  of  ad- 
ministration is  the  power  and  beauty  of  Protes- 
tantism. But  the  mutual  hostility  of  its  sects 
is  its  weakness  and  disgrace.  The  Church  needs 
not  that  its  sects  should  be  abolished,  but  that 
their  sectarian  hostility  should  be  destroyed  ;  that 
they  should  no  longer  contend,  but  cooperate. 
They  should  come  to  a  mutual  understanding, 
and  arrange  a  system  of  cooperation.  In  every 
city,  in  every  village,  there  should  be  a  central 
organization  in  which  all  sects  should  be  repre- 
sented, and  which  should  determine  the  sphere  of 
activity  for  each.  To  the  Methodists  should  be 
assigned  one  part  of  the  field  of  labor,  to  the 
Presbyterians  another,  to  the  Episcopalians  a 
third.  Where  the  Methodists  could  do  the  most 
good,  their  Church  should  be  established,  and  all 
the  other  sects  work  therein ;  where  some  other 
denomination  could  do  the  most  good,  that  should 
be  established  by  a  general  agreement. 

The  difficulty  which  now  makes  such  coop- 
eration impossible  is  quite  apparent.  It  is,  that 
each  sect  considers  itself,  not  as  a  sect,  but  as 
the  whole.  Episcopalians  think  that  everybody 
should    become    Episcopalians ;    Methodists   arc 


WHAT    PREVENTS    UNION.  213 

persuaded  that  Methodism  is  to  swallow  up  all 
the  Church ;  Calvinists  suppose  that  it  is  essential 
for  every  one  to  accept  the  creed  of  Calvin.  In- 
stead of  considering  themselves  integral  parts  of 
the  body,  —  a  hand,  a  foot,  an  eye,  which  would 
be  honor  enough,  —  they  consider  themselves  the 
whole  body.  While  this  notion  prevails,  there 
can  of  course  be  no  such  thing  as  union.  Now 
what  is  to  correct  this  narrowness  ?  I  see  no 
hope  but  in  a  deeper  Christian  life.  For  it  is 
evident  that  the  union  of  Forms  and  the  union  of 
Opinion  are  neither  practicable  nor  desirable. 
There  is  no  probability  that  any  one  of  the  exist- 
ing Protestant  sects  is  to  absorb  into  itself  all  the 
rest,  nor  that  any  one  of  the  different  creeds  is  to 
swallow  all  the  others.  The  tendency  still  con- 
tinues the  other  way.  Every  year,  new  sects  and 
new  creeds  present  themselves.  Nor  is  such  a 
result  desirable,  were  it  practicable  ;  for  no  exist- 
ing forms  or  creeds  are  the  best  absolutely,  but 
each  of  them  is  the  best  relatively.  One  form, 
one  creed,  is  the  best  for  one  class  of  minds,  — 
another  form,  another  creed,  is  the  best  for  anoth- 
er class  of  minds. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  bigot  or  the  sectarian 
to  understand  this,  for  to  them  their  creed  and 
sect  is  the  equivalent  of  Christianity.     The  one 


214     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

is  narrow-minded,  the  other  is  narrow-hearted, 
and  the  cure  for  the  narrow  mind  and  the  narrow 
heart  is  equally  to  be  found  in  a  deeper  Christian 
experience.  This  will  lead  the  narrow-minded 
man  into  larger  insight,  and  the  narrow-hearted 
man  into  larger  love.  The  man  who  has  been 
accustomed  to  regard  his  creed  as  an  adequate 
statement  of  Christian  truth,  finds,  as  he  passes 
into  a  deeper  religious  life,  that  new  views  open 
continually  before  him.  For  life  is  the  light  of 
man.  It  is  not  knowledge  which  is  the  source  of 
life,  but  life  which  is  the  source  of  knowledge. 
That  is  to  say,  all  new  knowledge  comes  to  us 
from  experience  ;  knowledge  of  outward  things 
through  sensible  experience,  knowledge  of  spirit- 
ual things  through  spiritual  experience.  Reflec- 
tion, on  the  contrary,  which  clears  up,  arranges, 
and  defines  our  knowledge,  thereby  limits  it. 
The  substance  of  truth  comes  to  us  through  ex- 
perience, the  form  of  truth  through  reflection. 
Hence,  while  reflection,  in  the  form  of  theology, 
defines,  arranges,  bounds,  it  necessarily  limits  ; 
fencing  in  the  truth  which  we  possess,  it  fen- 
ces out  that  which  we  have  not  yet  obtained. 
But  Christian  experience  leads  us  on  to  fresh 
fields  and  pastures  new  ;  enables  us  to  find  a  soul 
of  truth,  where  we  have  supposed  that  there  was 


DEEPER    LIFE    DEEPER    UNION.  215 

only  unmixed  error,  and  thus  produces  a  true 
Christian  liberality. 

Hence  we    find    that  spiritual   Christians  are 
seldom  bigots.     The  more   deep   and   thorough 
their  Christian  experience,  the  more  are  they  able 
to  recognize  elements  of  truth  in  the  opinions  of 
others  Tthe  higher  they  ascend  toward  God,  the 
wider  is  the  horizon  of  truth  which  they  com- 
mand.    Their  test  of  Christianity  is  the   life  of 
Christ  in  the  soul,  and  they  recognize   this  as 
being  present  amid  a  great  variety  of  opinions. 
Where    this    divine   life    exists,  they  are    sure 
that  essential  truth  cannot  be  wanting,  and  this 
life  is  to  them  the  one  thing  needful ;  where  it  is, 
they  find  a  brother,  they  are  drawn  toward  it  by 
an  irresistible  attraction,  and  their  deepest  sym- 
pathies  are  with  all  who   love    the    Lord   Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity.      The   affinities  of  the   sec- 
tarian are  with  those  who  accept  the  same  forms 
with  himself,  the  affinities  of  the  theologian  are 
with  those  who  accept  the  same    opinions  with 
himself;  but  the  affimties  of  the  spiritual  man  are 
with  those  who  have  the   same  inward  life  with 
himself.     The  sectarian  does  not  care  much  what 
a  man's  opinions  are,  nor  what  his  Christian  ex- 
perience is,  provided  he  will  join  his  Church,  and 
accept  his  forms.     The  true  Church  being   ac- 


216     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

cepted,  he  thinks  that  every  thing  else  will  come. 
He  is,  therefore,  often  quite  liberal  as  regards 
differences  of  opinion  and  states  of  heart ;  he  will 
admit  into  his  Church  heretics,  publicans,  and 
sinners,  but  he  is  relentless  toward  those,  who  pre- 
fer another  denomination  or  form  of  worship  to 
his.  The  bigot,  on  the  other  hand,  does  not  care 
much  what  a  man's  denomination  is,  nor  what 
his  Christian  experience  is,  provided  he  believes 
a  certain  creed  ;  the  true  creed  being  accepted, 
he  thinks  that  every  thing  else  will  come.  He 
may,  therefore,  be  liberal  toward  members  of 
other  sects,  but  is  relentless  toward  those  who 
differ  from  him  on  any  point  of  theological  opin- 
ion. Meantime,  the  man  of  deeper  Christian  ex- 
perience feels  sure  that,  where  Christ  is  formed 
in  the  soul,  all  essential  truth  and  all  important 
external  forms  will  come.  The  unity,  therefore, 
which  he  desires,  is  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace. 

Therefore,  when  Jesus  stood  among  his  disci- 
ples collected  for  the  last  time,  and  prayed  with 
them,  he  prayed  for  this  union  among  Christians, 
flowing  out  of  their  union  with  God  and  with 
himself.  He  prayed  that  they  might  be  all  one, 
as  he  was  one  with  God.  Therefore  it  was  not 
for  an  ecclesiastical,  or  doctrinal,  but  for  a  spirit- 


CHRIST    IN    THE    WORLD.  217 

ual  union,  that  he  besought  the  Father  in  this 
solemn,  supreme  hour.  And  now  the  Christian 
Church,  having  tried  in  succession,  and  tried  in 
vain,  the  experiment  of  ecclesiastical  and  formal 
union,  will  try,  and  try  successfully,  its  last  great 
experiment  of  a  unity  in  the  spirit  flowing  out 
of  the  life  of  Christ.  This  being  established,  the 
Church  will  be  perfectly  at  one.  Peace  will  be 
within  its  walls,  and  prosperity  within  its  palaces. 
And  so,  inwardly  united  and  at  one  with  itself,  it 
will  be  able  to  go  forward  with  confidence  toward 
the  conversion  of  the  world. 

§  43.     Christ  in  the  World. 

When  the  prayer  of  faith,  returning  into  the 
Church,  has  thus  made  the  Church  at  one,  it  will 
then  have  power  to  manifest  Christ  to  the  world. 
Then  the  world  will  believe  that  God  has  sent 
him.  For  the  heathen  world  cannot  be  converted 
to  Christ  till  Christendom  becomes  truly  Chris- 
tian ;  Christian  nations  will  not  become  really 
Christian  till  the  Church  is  at  one  in  the  life  of 
Christ,  and  the  Church  will  only  thus  become  at 
one  as  individual  Christians  learn  to  pray  the 
prayer  of  faith,  and  to  live  in  the  spirit  of  that 
prayer.  Christ  enters  first  into  the  individual 
heart,  next  into  the  collective  life  of  the  Church, 
19 


218     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

then  into  the  life  of  Christian  nations,  and  shall  at 
last  come  to  reign  the  true  King  of  the  world. 
Then  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue 
confess  him  to  be  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father. 

The  slow  progress  of  Christianity  in  the  world 
has  been  a  source  of  doubt  and  discouragement 
from  the  first.  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming  ?  "  was  a  question  anxiously  asked  even 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and  it  is  anxiously 
asked  still.  Eveiything  seems  to  remain  as  it 
was,  eveiything  to  go  on  as  it  did.  The  reign 
of  Christ  was  to  be  a  reign  of  peace,  but  war 
still  rages  among  the  nations.  Christ  was  to 
break  every  yoke,  but  slavery  still  exists,  and 
that  even  in  our  own  land.  The  poor  were  to 
have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them,  but  the  prac- 
tical Gospel  of  love  is  not  so  preached  as  yet. 
All  were  to  be  taught  of  God,  and  to  know  him, 
but  ignorance  prevails  throughout  Christendom. 
Unjust  distinctions,  excessive  luxury,  gross  vices, 
still  continue  throughout  the  world.  When,  then, 
is  Christ  to  come,  and  what  shall  be  the  signs  of 
his  coming  ?  What  shall  be  the  signs  of  the  end 
of  the  heathen  age,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era  ? 

The  progress  of  Christianity  as  a  reforming 


PROGRESS    OF    CHRISTIANITY.  219 

influence  has  indeed  been  slow,  as  men  count 
slackness.  But  God  has  a  great  deal  of  time, 
and  is  never  in  a  hurry.  Consider  the  vast 
geological  epochs  which  preceded  the  earth's 
arrival  at  its  present  form,  —  epochs  computed 
not  by  thousands  of  years,  but  by  hundreds  of 
thousands.  Consider  the  astronomical  fact  that 
nebulfE  can  be  seen  by  Lord  Rosse's  telescope, 
the  light  of  which  has  been  millions  of  years  in 
travelling  the  depths  of  space,  —  consequently 
nebula3  which  we  see  as  they  were  millions  of 
years  ago.  Such  facts  should  lift  us  in  our  reflec- 
tions out  of  the  limitations  of  our  own  short  life. 
An  ephemeral  insect  might  be  disappointed  that 
in  his  long  life  of  a  whole  summer's  day  men 
had  made  no  more  progress  toward  the  comple- 
tion of  an  edifice  on  which  he  made  his  home. 
So  we  complain,  —  human  ephemera,  —  but  re- 
ceive the  true  solution  of  our  doubts  in  the  Apos- 
tle's words,  "  that  with  God  a  thousand  years  are 
as  one  day."  Eighteen  and  a  half  centuries, 
therefore,  have  only  brought  us  to  the  afternoon 
of  the  second  day  since  the  birth  of  Jesus.  The 
question  of  slow  or  fast  is  one  which  we  cannot 
moot  in  relation  to  the  progress  of  Christianity. 
The  only  question  is,  Does  Christianity  really 
make  progress  >     And  in  regatd  to  that,  how  can 


220     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

there  be  any  doubt  ?  Its  influence  and  advance 
in  both  the  ways  predicted  by  Jesus  are  apparent 
in  human  history.  As  the  "  leaven  hid  in  the 
meal,"  an  unseen  influence  pervading  society, 
and  as  an  institution  small  at  first  as  "  a  grain  of 
mustard-seed,"  but  growing  until  the  birds  lodge 
in  its  branches,  Christianity  has  determined  the 
direction  of  all  modern  history.  Modern  history 
is  the  history  of  Christian  civilization,  and  its 
characteristic  feature  is  the  progressive  diffusion 
among  the  masses  of  the  privileges  formerly 
monopolized  by  the  few.  So,  too,  as  an  institu- 
tion, it  has  developed  itself  first  in  the  form  of  a 
Church,  with  outward  unity,  and  a  powerful  hie- 
rarchy ;  next,  in  the  form  of  a  Creed ;  thirdly, 
as  an  inward  Life  of  Piety ;  and  is  now  advan- 
cing into  its  last  great  epoch  of  an  outward  life 
of  Human  Brotherhood. 

Thus  far,  it  is  true,  the  Christian  Church  has 
not  devoted  itself  with  energy  to  the  improve- 
ment of  society,  the  removal  of  social  evils,  and 
the  coming  of  God's  kingdom  in  the  world.  It 
has  been  more  interested  in  ecclesiastical  ques- 
tions, theological  questions,  and  questions  of  ex- 
perimental religion,  than  in  those  which  regard 
morality  and  humanity.  It  has  spent  vast  energy 
of  thought  upon  questions  of  Church  organiza- 


ONE-SIDEDNESS    OF    ACTION.  221 

tion,  of  the  Papacy,  of  the  Episcopacy,  of  adult 
and  infant  baptism,  of  liturgies,  and  of  sacra- 
ments. It  has  devoted  itself  with  the  utmost 
strain  of  thought,  and  outlay  of  learning,  to  the 
discussion  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity,  Human 
Depravity,  the  Divine  Decrees,  and  the  Atone- 
ment of  Christ.  It  has  used  eveiy  effort  to  con 
vert  souls  to  God,  to  promote  personal  piety,  to 
enlarge  the  borders  of  the  Church,  and  to  produce 
revivals  of  religion.  But  thus  far  it  has  done 
much  less  to  remove  pauperism,  to  reform  crim- 
inals, to  comfort  the  sick,  to  visit  the  prisoner, 
to  save  the  victims  of  licentiousness,  to  prevent 
popular  vices,  to  elevate  the  standard  of  educa- 
tion, to  abolish  slavery,  to  put  a  stop  to  war. 
These,  no  doubt,  it  ought  to  have  done,  without 
leaving  the  others  undone. 

One  bad  consequence  of  this  one-sidedness  in 
the  action  of  the  Church  has  been  the  produc- 
tion of  a  similar  one-sidedness  on  the  part  of 
philanthropists.  Because  religion  has  been  di- 
vorced from  philanthropy,  therefore  morality  is 
in  turn  divorced  from  religion.  Earnest  and  con- 
scientious men,  looking  at  the  evils  of  society, 
form  associations  for  removing  these  evils  by 
force  of  argument  and  discussion.  Deeply  con- 
vinced of  the  Christian  character  of  these  enter- 
19* 


222     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

prises,  and  finding  the  Church  indifferent  to  them 
and  occupied  only  with  works  of  piety,  they 
denounce  this  indifference,  and  undervalue  the 
works  of  piety  in  order  to  celebrate  the  works  of 
philanthropy.  And  thus  this  unfortunate  schism 
is  perpetuated  between  the  two  departments  of 
Christian  life.  And  thus  all  humane  efforts  lan- 
guish and  stand  still,  for  want  of  the  powerful 
central  influence  which  comes  from  piety. 

For  all  the  good  works  done  in  the  past  have 
been  done  by  the  power  of  Faith.  This  is  the 
great  lever  by  which  man  is  moved,  by  which  the 
world  is  lifted,  and  heaven  is  the  place  outside 
of  earth  where  the  philanthropists  must  stand  to 
move  this  lever.  Faith  in  God,  in  a  special 
Providence,  in  an  answer  to  Prayer,  has  given 
strength  to  the  weak,  and  wrought  wonders  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  Misdirected  as  to  its  end,  it 
has  manifested  powers  which,  when  rightly  used, 
are  adequate  to  change  the  whole  face  of  society. 
That  power  of  Faith  which  carried  Christian 
Europe  to  faint  on  the  hot  sands  of  Syria,  in 
order  to  recover  the  tomb  where  Christ's  body 
was  laid,  will  one  day  accomplish  greater  won- 
ders in  building  the  home  where  his  spirit  shall 
dwell.  That  power  of  faith  which  enabled  the 
Maid  of  Arc,  by  her  own  force,  to  reverse  the 


POWER    OF    FAITH.  223 

fortunes  of  war  and  to  reconquer  France,  will 
nerve  many  another  spirit,  pure  and  true  as  hers, 
in  nobler  conquests  over  misery  and  sin.  The 
power  of  Faith  which  in  the  thirteenth  century 
covered  Europe  with  magnificent  cathedrals, 
which  the  present  age  may  admire,  but  cannot 
rival,  will  erect  more  beautiful  temples  for  divine 
worship,  not  of  stone  and  wood,  but  of  reformed 
institutions  and  an  altered  society.  The  power 
of  Faith  which  brought  the  Mayflower  to  Plymouth 
harbor,  bearing  within  its  small  cabin  the  founders 
of  a  great  nation,  will  yet  change  and  ennoble  all 
our  institutions,  till  they  become  those  of  a  truly 
Christian  commonwealth.  It  is  the  power  of 
Faith  and  Prayer  which  will  carry  forward  man 
in  the  sphere  of  moral  and  humane  enterprise, 
as  they  have  been  the  great  motive  powers  in 
other  places  of  religious  life. 

There  stands  a  petition  in  the  centre  of  the 
Christian's  daily  prayer,  the  sum  and  substance 
of  all,  being  in  itself  both  supplication  and  re- 
solve, prophetic  from  the  first  of  this  divine  union 
of  piety  and  philanthropy,  of  faith  and  works,  of 
love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  When  we  say, 
"  Thy  kingdom  come,"  our  prayer  is  itself  a 
prophecy  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  and  a 
means  of  accelerating  it.     And  when  we  say, 


224     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,"  we  not  only  ask 
for  the  reign  of  truth  and  love,  but  we  devote 
ourselves  to  its  establishment. 

These  words  are  inadequate  for  the  settlement 
of  the  great  question  we  have  been  considering. 
All  words  are  inadequate.  But  everj'  one  who, 
longing  for  the  reign  of  Christ,  prays  the  prayer 
of  faith,  does  something  to  settle  the  question. 
He  knows  in  his  own  heart  the  power  which 
comes  from  prayer,  and  he  hastens  the  time  when 
all  prayer  will  be  also  work,  because  work  will 
be  its  constant  fruit  and  issue. 

In  looking  forward  to  the  days  which  are  to 
come,  when  sincere  and  simple  prayer  shall  thus 
fill  every  part  of  human  life  with  beauty  and  joy, 
and  bear  rich  fruit  in  all  forms  of  righteousness ; 
when  the  departments  of  Christian  life  shall  be 
no  more  divided,  but  all  in  harmony ;  when  the 
Church,  being  at  one,  can  work  without  hinderance 
for  the  conversion  of  the  world ;  and  when  man 
shall  be  like  the  orange-tree,  "  that  busy  plant," 
bearing  at  the  same  time  foliage,  flowers,  and 
fruit,  combining  the  fragrance  of  devotion  with 
ripe  results  in  action,  —  we  may  think  of  Jesus  as 
still  speaking  to  the  world  and  saying,  "  Hitherto 
ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name ;  ask  and 

RECEIVE,  THAT  YOUR  JOY  MAY  BE  FULL." 


CHAPTER     VII, 


THE    SPIRITUAL    LIFE. 


§  44.  The  Spiritual  Life  as  the  Source  of  Prayer. 

The  Doctrine  of  Prayer  has  been  thus  far 
treated  by  us  in  its  various  relations.  This  sup- 
plementary chapter  will  treat  of  the  Spiritual 
Life,  which  is  the  perennial  fountain  of  prayer. 
We  shall  consider  first  the  soul  itself,  its  nature 
and  capacities  ;  then  treat  of  its  hidden  life,  a 
life  hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;  then  describe  the 
natural  man  and  the  spiritual  man  in  their  dis- 
cernment of  things  natural  and  spiritual ;  then 
speak  of  Sin  and  hs  confession  and  forgiveness ; 
then  of  Assurance  ;  and,  lastly,  of  Contentment. 
We  shall  thus  conclude  our  Essay  with  these 
general  views  of  the  Christian  life,  which  will 
connect  our  idea  of  Prayer  with  all  parts  of  the 
culture  and  discipline  of  the  soul. 


226  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

§  45.   The  Soul :  its  Nature  and  Capacities. 

Among  the  Jews,  the  soul  was  considered  to 
be,  not  only  the  principle  of  thought,  but  also  the 
principle  of  life.  We,  in  our  philosophy,  follow 
the  Romans,  who  regarded  the  thinking  principle 
as  one  thing,  and  the  principle  of  life  as  anoth- 
er. The  Romans  called  the  principle  of  thought 
MENS,  whence  comes  our  word  mental  ;  and 
the  principle  of  life  anima,  whence  come  our 
words  animation^  animated^  as  when  w^e  speak 
of  the  animated  creation.  But  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, one  Greek  word  expresses  the  principle 
of  bodily  life,  and  of  moral  and  intellectual  pow- 
er. According  to  this,  it  was  the  soul  which 
kept  the  body  alive.  Some  have  gone  further, 
and  thought  that  the  soul  formed  the  body  ;  and 
that  there  is  a  natural  connection  between  each 
man's  form  and  face,  and  the  character  of  the 
soul ;  as  when  Spenser  says, 

"  For  of  the  soul  the  ho&y  form  doth  take, 
For  soul  IS  FORM,  and  doth  the  body  make." 

Which  of  these  views  is  correct,  I  shall  not 
now  inquire.  It  was  necessary  to  mention  them, 
that  we  may  understand  that,  when  the  words 
life  and  soul  occur  in  the  New  Testament,  the 
same  Greek  word  is  often  used  in  the  orisinal. 


THE    SOUL.  227 

But  what  is  the  soul,  and  what  do  we  know 
about  it  ?  There  is  something  in  man  which  is 
especially  himself,  and  which  he  means  when- 
ever he  says  "  I."  Of  this  something  which  we 
call  "  I,"  "  Me,"  "  Myself,"  we  know  certainly 
thus  much  :  —  First,  that  it  exists.  Second,  that  it 
thinks,  feels,  resolves,  and  carries  out  its  volitions 
by  moving  the  body.  Thirdly,  we  know  that  it  is 
one,  —  an  absolute  unit.  It  is  one  and  the  same 
thing  which  sees,  hears,  feels,  thinks,  resolves, 
acts,  remembers  the  past,  looks  forward  to  the 
future,  enjoys  or  suffers  in  the  present.  In  thi^ 
respect  we  immediately  see  a  difference  between 
the  soul  and  the  body.  The  body  is  an  aggre- 
gate of  different  parts  or  organs,  and  its  unity  is 
not  simple  unity,  but  compound  unity.  With  one 
part  of  the  body,  we  see ;  with  another,  hear  ; 
with  a  third,  taste  ;  and  so  on.  Not  so  with  the 
soul.  It  is  the  same  thing  which  sees,  which 
hears,  which  tastes  ;  and  also  which  thinks,  loves, 
chooses.  Moreover,  in  the  fourth  place,  we 
know  that  the  soul  is  a  substance  ;  that  is,  some- 
thing permanent,  remaining  the  same  thing  amid 
change.  For  we  know  that  it  is  the  same  thing 
which  just  now  felt,  or  thought,  or  listened  ;  and 
which  now  remembers,  observes,  or  considers. 

Thus  much,  then,  we  know.     To  all  this  we 


228     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

have  the  testimony  of  our  consciousness.  What 
we  have  stated  is  not  speculation,  but  certainty. 
We  are  certain  of  our  own  existence,  as  a  single, 
thinhing  and  feeling,  permanent  substance  or  be- 
ing. This  self  we  call  the  Soul.  That  is  the 
name  which  men  have  agreed  upon.  If  they 
should  agree  to  call  it  the  body,  that  would  not 
change  any  of  these  facts  which  I  have  now 
stated,  and  of  which  my  readers  are  just  as  cer- 
tain as  I  am. 

What  shall  we  say,  then,  to  those  who  assert 
that  the  soul  is  the  body  ?  —  materialists,  as  they 
call  themselves.  Merely  that  they  make  an  im- 
proper use  of  language.  If  they  say  that  the 
soul  is  material,  then  they  must  assert  that  there 
is  a  peculiar  kind  of  matter  which  has  the  power 
of  thinking,  feeling,  and  choosing,  —  a  kind  of 
matter,  the  qualities  of  which  are  not  perceived 
through  the  senses,  —  a  kind  of  matter  which  is 
indivisible,  without  parts,  an  absolute  unit.  Now 
this  description  is  the  precise  opposite  to  all  usual 
definitions  of  matter  ;  for  the  common  definition 
of  matter  is.  That  which  is  perceived  through  the 
senses  ;  which  is  divisible  ;  which  has  parts,  and 
so  on.  Now  to  call  two  things,  which  are  char- 
acterized by  exactly  opposite  qualities,  by  the 
same  name,  seems  an  improper  use  of  language. 


THE    SOUL.  229 

Of  this  substance  —  the  soul  —  it  is  true  we 
know  nothing  except  its  qualities,  —  that  it  thinks, 
feels,  and  so  forth.  But  the  same  thing  is  true  of 
that  other  substance,  body.  All  we  know  of  this 
is  its  qualities,  as  color,  form,  extension,  resist- 
ance, divisibility,  and  so  on.  When  we  perceive 
color,  form,  resistance,  we  infer  by  a  necessary 
law  of  the  mind  that  there  is  something  colored, 
hard,  and  the  like.  We  perceive  these  sensible 
qualities,  and  infer  material  substance.  So  when 
we  perceive  thought  and  feeling  by  means  of  our 
consciousness,  we  infer,  by  a  necessary  law  of 
the  mind,  that  there  is  something  which  thinks 
and  feels.  We  perceive  these  mental  qualities, 
and  infer  an  immaterial  substance.  We  call  it 
immaterial,  to  indicate  that  its  qualities  are  the 
precise  opposite  to  those  of  matter. 

That  the  soul  stands  in  close  connection  with 
matter,  while  united  with  the  body,  we  admit. 
It  may  always  stand  in  close  connection  with 
matter.  That  mental  qualities  and  states  greatly 
depend  upon  bodily  qualities  and  states,  we  also 
admit.  This,  too,  may  be  always  the  case,  for  all 
that  we  know.  But  to  be  connected  with  a  thing, 
and  to  be  dependent  upon  a  thing,  is  by  no  means 
equal  to  being  identical  with  it.  The  trunk  of  a 
tree  depends  upon  the  root,  and  the  fruit  depends 
20 


230     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

upon  the  twig,  and  they  cannot  exist  apart  ;  but 
that  does  not  prove  them  to  be  the  same  thing. 

I  have  now  told  all  that  I  know  with  certainty 
about  the  soul.  Beyond  this  comes  a  region  of 
belief;  and  further  out  still,  a  region  of  opinion  ; 
and  still  further,  one  of  speculation.  To  these 
frontier-settlements  and  remote  hunting-grounds 
of  the  intellect,  I  do  not  propose  to  carry  my 
readers.  We  have  journeyed  thus  far  through  a 
land  of  certainties. 

§  46.   The  Value,  of  the  Soul,  shown  hy  Five 
Arguments. 

If  this  is  the  soul,  we  ask,  in  the  next  place, 
What  is  its  worth  ?  What  is  its  real  value  ?  I 
do  not  mean  merely  what  is  its  value  to  our- 
selves, but.  What  is  its  value  to  the  universe  ? 
What  is  its  value  in  the  eyes  of  God  ? 

To  answer  this  question,  it  is  necessary  to  con- 
sider more  particularly  the  qualities  of  the  soul, — 
its  powers  and  attributes.  One  of  these  is  that 
of  growth,  development,  and  progress.  Of  this 
growth  or  development,  the  vegetable  and  animal 
world  is  an  outward,  visible  symbol.  Unorgan- 
ized matter  passes  through  changes  and  chemical 
transformation  ;  but  organized  matter  alone  grows 
by  a  law  of  development.     In  every  seed  there 


VALUE    OF    THE    SOUL.  231 

lies  hidden  the  law  of  especial  development. 
Eveiy  seed  is  to  have  its  own  body.  You  plant 
an  acorn  in  the  ground,  and  you  are  sure  that,  if 
it  becomes  a  tree,  that  tree  will  possess  a  certain 
kind  of  wood,  bark,  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit. 
Why  is  it  that,  among  the  trees  which  spring  from 
a  million  acorns,  not  a  single  tree  should  have 
among  its  million  leaves  a  single  leaf  with  the 
indentation  or  form  of  that  of  a  chestnut  or  wal- 
nut ?  Through  all  centuries,  these  seeds  obey 
each  its  own  law  of  development. 

A  similar  law,  of  which  this  is  the  symbol,  is 
connected  with  the  soul  of  man.  As  every  seed 
has  its  own  body,  so  every  soul  has  its  own  law 
of  development,  —  of  growth.  Each  one  of  us  is 
intended  by  God  for  a  special  end.  Each  one 
of  us  is  meant  to  grow  according  to  the  law  of 
his  own  nature.  Each  one  has  capacities  of  de- 
velopment which  this  mortal  life  cannot  reveal, 
much  less  exhaust.  Who  knows,  who  can  im- 
agine, what  is  hidden  in  the  soul  of  each  one  of 
us  ?  In  the  great  men  of  the  world  we  see  hints 
of  what  all  men  are  intended  to  become  and  sur- 
pass. A  Newton,  measuring  the  planets  ;  a  Her- 
schel,  numbering  the  stars ;  a  Bacon,  examining 
the  powers  of  the  human  mind  ;  a  Shakespere, 
Dante,  Milton,  Homer,  exhausting  worlds,  and 


232  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

then  imagining  new  ones ;  an  Alfred,  or  Wash- 
ington, making  himself  the  father  of  a  nation ; 
a  Luther,  arousing  the  human  race  with  the  great 
idea  of  freedom  ;  a  peasant-girl  going,  like  Joan 
of  Arc,  to  save  her  country  from  the  conquering 
armies  of  invaders,  and  saving  it ;  a  Kossuth, 
cariying  the  sorrows  of  his  people  in  his  heart 
from  land  to  land,  and  pleading  for  them  as  if 
the  woes  and  wrongs  of  all  spoke  in  his  generous 
voice  ;  a  Socrates,  consuming  the  last  hours  of 
a  well-spent  life  in  cheerful  discourse,  which 
foretells  his  future  immortality  by  its  spirit  more 
than  its  arguments,  as  the  glories  of  the  setting 
sun  are  ominous  of  a  clear  to-morrow  ;  —  what 
are  all  these  manifestations  of  human  nature,  but 
indications  to  us  of  powers  which  lie  in  every 
bosom  ?  They  speak  of  the  inherent  powers,  of 
the  native  greatness,  of  every  soul.  Were  it  not 
so,  how  could  we  understand  them,  —  why  should 
we  admire  them  ?  The  eloquence  of  true  no- 
bleness finds  an  echo  in  all  our  hearts.  The 
sympathy  which  stirs  in  every  soul  toward  great 
thoughts,  great  endeavors,  great  self-devotion,  is 
the  movement  of  a  kindred  power  stirring  within 
us,  and  asking  room  for  a  like  development. 
When  you  strike  a  harp-string,  every  other  harp- 
string  in  the  room  which  is  set  to  the  same  chord 


VALUE    OF    THE    SOUL.  233 

responds.  When  any  human  faculty  greatly  ex- 
presses itself,  the  same  faculty  hid  in  myriad 
hearts  responds  by  a  thrill  of  admiring  sympathy. 
Again,  the  worth  of  the  soul  appears  in  its 
capacities,  because  these  capacities  are  divine. 
A  sentence  full  of  meaning  stands  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Old  Testament,  —  "  In  the  image  of 
God  created  he  man."  Our  power  of  knowing 
God  depends  on  our  being  made  in  his  image. 
We  ascribe  to  him  the  attributes  of  omniscience, 
omnipotence,  omnipresence,  and  perfect  good- 
ness. These  words  would  convey  no  meaning 
to  us,  if  there  were  not  in  each  soul  similar^wi/e 
capacities.  We  have  within  us  ideas  of  truth,  of 
right,  of  holiness,  knowledge,  power,  love.  We 
have  also  the  idea  of  the  infinite,  the  independent, 
the  eternal.  These  ideas  belong  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  human  soul.  By  means  of  them  we 
know  God,  without  them  we  could  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  him.  The  worth  of  the  soul  appears  in 
this,  then,  that  it  is  thus  made  in  the  image  of 
God.  For  these  ideas  are  native  and  original  to 
the  soul.  They  lie  in  the  texture  of  every  soul. 
They  may  be  darkened  by  sin  ;  they  may  be  hid- 
den by  ignorance  or  error ;  but  they  are  there. 
A  worldly  life  may  conceal  them,  as  the  shadow 
of  the  earth  eclipses  the  moon,  but  the  moon  is 
20 


234     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

ihere,  though  its  pure,  bright  light  is  changed  and 
dimmed.  So  earthly  mists  may  altogether  hide 
the  stars,  but  the  mist  drifts  away  when  God's 
pure  wind  blows,  and  the  stars  appear  again  in 
their  old,  eternal  homes.  They  were  hidden  for 
a  while,  but  they  were  always  there. 

Again,  the  worth  of  the  soul  appears  from  the 
fact,  that  it  may  be  the  temple  of  God.  In  all 
ages  man  has  built  his  noblest  and  most  beauti- 
ful edifices  for  the  worship  of  God.  Amid  the 
eternal  solitudes  of  Thebes  still  remain  the  im- 
mense rows  of  columns,  miles  in  length,  through 
which  the  priestly  procession  once  marched  in 
solemn  pomp.  At  Balbec  the  impostal  stones  of 
immense  size,  some  sixty  feet  long,  are  still  sup- 
ported in  the  air.  The  most  beautiful  work  of 
art  which  man  has  ever  built  w^s  the  Temple  for 
the  worship  of  Minerva  at  Athens.  The  Temple 
of  the  Sun  at  Palmyra  in  the  wilderness,  the 
caves  of  Elephanta  in  India,  the  pagodas  in  Bir- 
mah  and  China,  the  ruins  of  Palenque  in  Central 
America,  the  vast  stones  at  Stonehenge  in  Eng- 
land, the  remains  of  the  Jewish  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  Pantheon  at  Rome,  are  all  proofs 
that  man  exerts  his  best  power  and  genius  in 
building  for  the  worship  of  God.  But  God 
dwells  not  in  temples  made  with  hands.     The 


VALUE    OF    THE    SOUL.  235 

human  soul  he  has  made  for  his  temple,  and  there 
he  desires  to  dwell.  He  dwells  in  the  heart  pu- 
rified by  love.  The  music  to  which  he  listens 
is  the  m.elody.  of  grateful  affection.  The  incense 
of  praise  is  the  perfume  which  rises  acceptably 
to  him.  In  that  temple  the  sermons  are  the 
thoughts  inspired  by  God's  own  spirit ;  the  prayers 
are  the  aspirations  of  the  soul  after  truth  and 
holiness  ;  the  acceptable  worship  is  the  spirit  of 
Christ. 

Again,  the  worth  of  the  soul  is  seen  in  what 
God  has  done  to  redeem  it  from  sin,  and  to  pre- 
pare it  for  immortality.  The  world  itself,  with 
all  its  contents,  the  whole  apparatus  of  earthly 
life,  with  its  joys  and  its  trials,  its  labor  and  re- 
pose, its  conflicts  and  vicissitudes,  —  for  what  else 
was  it  intended,  but  to  develop  and  educate  hu- 
man life  and  human  souls  .?  This  purpose  alone 
makes  human  life  and  human  destiny  intelligible. 
Other  purposes  there  may  also  be  ;  for  who  can 
limit  the  Divine  Providence  ?  But  this  alone  is  to 
us  intelligible.  We  can  understand  a  little  of  the 
mystery  of  evil,  when  we  see  that  evil  tends  to 
strengthen  and  educate  the  soul.  We  can  com- 
prehend something  of  the  tangled  skein  of  his- 
tory, when  we  see  the  gradual  progress  wrought 
out  in  the  culture  of  races  and  individuals,  and 


236  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

all  human  history  preparing  the  way  for  Christ. 
And,  finally,  in  Christianity  itself  we  see  most 
plainly  how  God  values  the  soul,  —  valuing  it, 
not  according  to  its  present  attainments,  but  ac- 
cording to  its  inherent  capacities  ;  having  more 
joy  in  the  one  sinner  that  repents,  than  in  the 
ninety-and-nine  just  persons  who  need  no  repent- 
ance. The  goodness  of  the  best  man  is  nothing, 
compared  with  the  goodness  which  the  w^orst  man 
is  capable  of  attaining.  This  is  a  point  in  Chris- 
tianity which  we  are  slow  to  comprehend.  We 
overvalue  present  attainment ;  we  undervalue  in- 
herent capability.  The  small  house  suited  to 
our  present  convenience,  and  finished  in  a  year, 
we  value  more  than  the  vast  palace,  the  enor- 
mous cathedral,  the  metropolitan  city,  whose  great 
plan  it  will  require  centuries  to  execute.  Esau, 
selling  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage,  is  the 
type  of  those  who  despise  the  common  human  na- 
ture which  is  in  every  man,  and  idolize  the  talents 
of  this  or  that  brilliant  person,  here  or  there. 

Jesus  did  not  so.  Jesus  reverenced  the  great 
nature  which  he  saw  in  the  soul  of  every  man. 
Therefore  he  reverenced  the  child  whose  unpol- 
luted soul  still  beheld  the  face  of  God.  There- 
fore he  looked  with  tenderness  on  the  sinner,  — 
spoke  words  of  loftiest  truth  to  the  most  humble, 


VALUE    OF   THE    SOUL.  237 

and  called  upon  the  common  crowd  to  be  perfect, 
as  their  Father  in  heaven  was  perfect.  There- 
fore he  demanded  of  all,  as  the  only  essential 
thing,  to  turn  their  faces  the  right  way  in  faith, 
to  have  courage,  to  believe  in  God  and  in  them- 
selves. In  this  conception  of  the  possibilities  of 
man,  the  roots  of  all  great  Christian  ideas  find 
nourishment.  Love  to  God  is  strengthened  when 
our  love  is  not  abject,  but  hopeful,  flowing  from 
the  consciousness  of  what  he  has  made  us  to  be. 
Love  to  man  is  possible  only  when  we  see  in 
eveiy  man  the  capacity  of  goodness,  beauty,  and 
power.  We  can  love  the  sinner  when  the  actual 
sin  appears  superficial,  and  the  possible  goodness 
radical.  We  can  forgive  an  enemy  when  we 
see  that  this  enemy,  by  means  of  our  forgive- 
ness, may  not  only  become  our  friend,  but  the 
friend  of  God.  We  can  look  on  ourselves  with 
humility  and  yet  with  hope,  on  the  prosperous 
without  envy,  on  the  sufferer  without  too  sickly 
a  sorrow,  on  our  trials  with  patience,  and  our 
successes  without  elation,  when  we  consider  how 
little  all  these  things  are  in  comparison  with  the 
universal  soul  which  is  in  all,  with  its  boundless 
capacities,  with  its  glorious  destiny. 

And  this  destiny  of  the  soul  is  the  last  proof 
of  its  greatness  to  which  I  would  refer.     There 


238     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

is,  in  the  New  Testament,  a  doctrine  which  has 
been  much  perverted  and  misunderstood,  but 
which,  when  rightly  viewed,  is  full  of  inspiration 
and  encouragement.  It  is  the  doctrine  of  pre- 
destination ;  which  I  would  rather  call  the  doc- 
trine of  destination,  as  we  can  conceive  no  be- 
fore or  after  with  God.  As  all  things  are  present 
to  God,  he  neither  foreknows  nor  predetermines 
anything,  but  knows  and  determines  everything,  — 
our  own  choice  and  the  Divine  decree  co-operat- 
ing in  every  act.  Nevertheless,  in  human  lan- 
guage we  must  speak  of  God's  foreknowledge 
and  predestination.  Now,  the  doctrine  of  the  New 
Testament  is,  that  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  God  determined  our  destiny.  H020  is  not 
there  stated.  But  it  may  be  that  it  was  by  giving 
to  each  one  of  us  a  special  nature  and  capacity, 
making  each  separate  soul  an  individual  unit,  and 
arranging  for  each  one  the  outward  circumstances 
and  events  of  our  earthly  life.  It  is  no  accident, 
but  the  Divine  decree,  which  has  made  us  just 
the  beings  that  we  are.  He  chose  us  to  be  such 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  He  destined 
us  in  love  to  be  adopted  as  children,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  and  brought  to  the  heart  of  our 
Father.  Everything,  therefore,  in  our  consti- 
tution,  organization,   and   circumstances,  has   a 


VALUE    OF    THE    SOUL.  239 

divine  meaning;  and  that,  a  meaning  of  love. 
Every  man  is  made  for  a  special  place  and  a 
special  work,  —  a  place  which  no  other  man  can 
fill,  a  work  which  no  other  man  can  do.  Some 
are  made  for  a  higher,  and  some  for  a  lower 
work,  but  every  work  is  divine.  There  is  a  great 
order  in  the  universe ;  and  some  are  made  to  be 
greater,  wiser,  more  powerful,  more  useful,  glo- 
rious, and  happy,  than  others ;  but  all  are  made 
to  be  equally  children  of  God,  equally  near  to 
their  Father's  heart.  All  is  part  of  one  system, 
and  in  that  system  nothing  is  insignificant.  The 
greatest  events  in  human  history  apparently  de- 
pend on  the  smallest  circumstances.  A  ray  of 
sunlight  breaking  from  the  clouds  and  shining  in 
the  face,  dazzling  the  eyes  of  an  army,  changed 
the  issue  of  one  of  the  great  battles  which  have 
been  turning-points  in  the  destinies  of  our  race. 
The  safe  arrival  of  a  missionary,  destined  to  con- 
vert a  continent,  may  depend  on  the  accuracy  of 
a  chronometer,  which  accuracy  depends  on  the 
right  adjustment  of  the  smallest  pin  or  screw.  So, 
in  God's  universe,  the  most  insignificant  soul  may 
be  most  significant,  —  essential  to  the  happiness 
of  all.  Every  wilfulness  or  sin  of  ours  may  in- 
terfere with  the  bliss  of  angels,  and  darken  the 
light  of  heaven.     God  is  glorified  when  we  bear 


240     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

fruit.  When  we  are  faithful,  we  hasten  by  so 
much  the  great  consummation  of  all  things  ;  when 
unfaithful,  we  retard  by  so  much  the  redemption 
of  the  world.  When  faithful,  we  are  at  one  with 
all  the  pure  and  good  in  all  worlds,  —  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ.  In  every  mo- 
ment of  such  fidelity  is  fulfilled  for  us  the  great 
promise,  "  All  things  are  yours,  whether  proph- 
ets or  apostles,  life  or  death,  things  present  or 
things  to  come."  Thus  each  soul  is  destined  for 
a  growth  and  progress  which  shall,  at  the  same 
time,  develop  more  and  more  his  individual  per- 
sonal character,  and  unite  him  more  and  more 
with  all  other  beings  ;  which  shall  make  him 
more  entirely  himself,  and  shall  unite  him  more 
(jntirely  with  the  whole.  Thus  shall  result,  at 
last,  that  great  concert  of  the  universe,  where 
each  individual  contributes  a  single  note  of  music 
which,  distinct  in  itself,  yet  in  harmony  with  the 
rest,  makes  up  the  music  of  the  spheres. 

§  47.   The  SouVs  Hidden  Life. 

"  Your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God."  These 
are  the  words,  not  of  the  mystical,  but  of  the 
logical  Apostle.  They  lead  us  forward,  from  the 
view  just  taken  of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  to  its 
new  life  hidden  in  Christ.     This  is  the  essence 


THE    soul's    hidden    LIFE.  241 

of  Christianity.  Life,  inward  and  hidden,  the 
source  of  the  public  and  open  life,  is  the  one 
thing  needful  to  us  all.  I  will  go  on  to  describe 
this  hidden  spiritual  life,  and  to  show  that  there 
must  be  such  a  life  "  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 
Christianity  does  not  consist  in  action  only.  There 
must  be  something  beside  the  act,  and  behind  it, 
as  its  source.  And  this  source  of  religion  is 
something  secret  and  hidden,  —  hidden  in  the 
depths  of  the  soul.  The  river  which  rolls  its 
sparkling  waters  in  the  light  of  day,  has  its  dark 
fountains,  hidden  below  the  surface,  somewhere. 
The  plant,  which  spreads  its  leaves  and  hangs  its 
flowers  in  the  cheerful  sunlight,  has  a  root  hidden 
below  the  soil.  And  you  might  as  well  expect 
to  find  a  river  with  its  springs  above  ground, 
or  a  plant  with  its  roots  all  bare,  as  true  religion 
without  a  secret,  untold,  and  inexplicable  source  in 
the  depths  of  the  soul.  The  root  of  religion  con- 
sists in  deep  convictions  and  profound  feelings, — 
in  convictions  of  God's  presence,  of  personal  ac- 
countability, of  a  judgment  to  come,  of  God's 
tender  love  to  us,  of  the  beauty  of  holiness  in 
Jesus  Christ,  —  feelings  which  no  words  can  fully 
express,  no  actions  exhaust.  The  most  fervid 
eloquence,  the  most  rapt  devotion,  must  fall  far 
short  of  unfolding  the  feeling  which  prompts  it. 

21 


242     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

There  must  be  more  behind  than  is  told.  There 
is  more  love  in  the  heart  than  can  look  out  at  the 
eye.  All  language  must  be  inadequate  to  ex- 
press the  religious  sentiment.  The  root  may- 
shoot  forth  from  the  ground,  but  the  root  itself 
must  stay  below.  Far  as  the  river  runs,  it  never 
brings  the  spring  out  after  it  into  the  air.  That 
must  stay  behind.  In  the  same  way,  as  long  as  a 
man's  religion  is  genuine  and  living,  so  long  must 
there  be  a  secret  source  to  it.  If,  then,  one  is 
not  conscious  of  feeling  more  than  he  can  say, — 
if  he  has  no  private  thoughts  and  secret  feelings, 
unuttered  and  unutterable,  —  then  his  religion  has 
no  root  within ;  it  is  not  his  at  all  ;  it  is  a  su- 
perficial, hearsay,  borrowed  thing,  which  he  has 
picked  up  by  the  way-side  ;  it  is  a  traditional,  and 
not  a  personal  affair  ;  flesh  and  blood  have  re- 
vealed it  to  him,  and  not  his  Father  in  heaven. 
The  spirit  of  God  has  not  breathed  it  into  his 
soul,  but  the  words  of  man  have  taught  it  to  his 
intellect.  It  is  a  vanity,  a  nothing.  If  a  man, 
then,  has  no  secret  religion,  he  has  no  religion. 

If  there  were  any  doubt  about  the  truth  of  this, 
it  would  be  made  certain  by  the  fact,  that  the 
same  thing  is  true,  in  a  less  degree,  of  all  our 
other  convictions,  all  our  other  belief.  If  a  man 
merely  receives   an  opinion  from  another,  and 


THE    soul's    hidden    LIFE.  243 

his  own  mind  does  not  act  upon  it,  work  it  over, 
look  at  it,  and  make  it  his  own  by  reflection,  it  is 
not  his  opinion  ;  it  does  not  belong  to  him  yet ;  it 
belongs  to  the  man  from  whom  he  took  it.  But 
if  he  does  ruminate  it  and  digest  it  in  his  own 
mind,  this  is  a  hidden  process  which  he  never 
can  fully  explain  to  himself  or  any  one  else. 

§  48.  A  Hidden  Life  tJie  Evidence  of  Sincerity. 

Again.  A  hidden  life  is  necessary  as  an  evi- 
dence of  sincerity. 

If  a  man  finds  that  he  loves  to  talk  about  re- 
ligion a  great  deal  more  than  to  think  about  it, 
he  ought  to  fear  lest  his  supposed  love  for  truth 
is  partly  a  love  for  hearing  himself  talk,  and  for 
having  others  admire  his  fine  sentiments.  If  he 
finds  that  secret  prayer  is  not  so  agreeable  as  to 
conduct  devotions  at  a  prayer-meeting,  or  to  join 
audibly  in  the  responses  at  church,  there  is  dan- 
ger that  he  loves  the  reputation  of  religion  more 
than  its  reality.  If  he  perceives  that,  while  he 
is  ready  to  put  his  name  on  a  subscription-paper, 
or  his  money  into  a  contribution-box,  he  has  not 
given  much  in  secret  charity,  he  should  dread 
lest  he  has  been  seeking  the  reputation  of  gener- 
osity, or  avoiding  the  reproach  of  others,  instead 
of  being  desirous  of  doing  good  and   relieving 


244     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

misery.  If  he  goes  to  church  or  avoids  working 
on  the  Lord's  day,  or  abstains  from  any  gratifica- 
tion, or  shows  a  respect  to  religion  only  for  the 
sake  of  example,  he  should  consider  that  to  rec- 
ommend a  thing  to  others  which  we  do  not  care 
about  ourselves  is  hardly  treating  them  fairly. 
If,  in  the  trying  circumstances  of  life,  the  con- 
flicts of  opinion,  the  temptations  to  swerve  a  lit- 
tle way  from  duty,  he  never  steps  aside  to  look 
at  the  divine  standard  of  virtue,  to  ask  what  is 
right  in  itself  and  for  ever,  not  what  men  think 
right,  or  what  is  fashionable  now  and  here,  —  if 
he  never  endeavors  to  free  himself  from  the  in- 
fluence of  a  worldly  morality  and  the  examples 
of  the  times  to  look  at  the  pure  morality  of  Jesus 
Christ  by  which  he  and  all  are  to  be  judged,  —  he 
ought  to  be  very  anxious  lest  he  be  not  wishing  to 
know  what  is  right  at  all,  but  only  what  is  popu- 
lar ;  not  wishing  to  do  what  is  right  at  all,  but  only 
to  do  what  is  convenient  and  easy.  Or  if  a  man 
professing  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ  finds  himself 
lazily  acquiescing  in  the  views  of  the  majority 
with  regard  to  Christian  doctrine,  never  testing 
his  creed  by  Scripture  nor  by  reason,  never  try- 
ing the  spirits  to  see  whether  they  be  of  God,  he 
ought  to  suspect  that  he  is  not  the  disciple  of 
Christ,  but  the  disciple  of  Calvin,  of  Wesley,  of 


THE    soul's    hidden    LIFE.  245 

Priestley,  and  that  his  true  place  is  not  in  the 
Protestant,  but  the  Romish  Church.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  if  he  can  say  that  he  has  sought 
earnestly  to  know  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ, 
that  he  has  endeavored  to  govern  his  conduct  by 
a  rule  and  motives  not  of  this  world,  that  his 
opinions  and  feelings  are  not  the  mere  reflection 
of  those  of  others,  that  his  mind  is  something 
more  than  a  camera  obscura  containing  only  the 
picture  of  what  is  going  on  about  him,  that  his 
life  is  not  the  mere  sport  of  external  influences 
and  circumstances,  but  that  he  has  an  inward 
life  of  personal  convictions,  principles,  purposes, 
rooted  deep  in  his  soul,  —  if  he  perceives  that  his 
faith  is  dear  to  him,  though  unpopular,  that  re- 
ligion is  a  comfort  to  him  in  his  secret  trials,  that 
he  feeds  on  hidden  manna,  and  has  a  joy  with 
which  the  stranger  does  not  intermeddle,  —  if  the 
words  which  he  sometimes  utters  in  behalf  of 
God  and  truth  are  the  overflow  of  a  full  vessel, 
the  gushing  out  of  a  swelling  heart,  —  if  he  enjoys 
doing  good  though  no  one  knows  of  it,  and  finds 
a  satisfaction  in  righteousness,  even  though  mis- 
understood and  misrepresented,  his  good  be  evil 
spoken  of, —  if  he  can  calmly  bear  false  accu- 
sations, and  patiently  endure  calumny,  —  then  he 
may  be  at  least  certain  that  vanity  and  display 

21* 


246     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

are  not  among  the  motives  which  actuate  him  ; 
he  may  be  as  sure  as  we  can  be  in  this  world, 
where  we  see  everything  through  a  glass  and 
darkly,  even  our  own  hearts,  that  his  purposes 
are  sincere  and  his  piety  genuine.  And  with 
this  conviction,  what  more  can  he  wish  ? 

§  49.   The  Hidden  Life  known  to  God. 

Again.  It  is  unquestionable  that  we  must  have 
a  hidden  life  of  some  kind,  either  good  or  bad ; 
the  only  question  is,  which  shall  it  be  ?  If  we 
do  not  watch  over  our  inward  nature,  attend  to 
the  motives  which  actuate  us,  cherish  good  feel- 
ings, keep  our  heart  with  diligence,  —  if  we  neg- 
lect altogether  what  is  going  on  in  our  souls,  and 
fix  our  thoughts  only  on  external  things,  and  en- 
deavor to  lose  ourselves  in  the  enjoyments  and 
pursuits  of  the  outward  world,  —  we  do  not  there- 
by destroy  the  world  within  us.  There  is  still  a 
whole  secret  world  there  of  thoughts,  and  pur- 
poses, and  wishes,  perpetually  going  on.  Be- 
cause we  do  not  choose  to  think  of  it  or  look  at 
it,  we  do  not  annihilate  it.  Every  man  that  lives 
must  live  a  double  life,  —  a  life  of  outward  action 
and  a  life  of  inward  feeling  and  motive.  The 
only  question  then  is,  whether  he  shall  attend  to 
this  inward  life  and  watch  it  and  make  it  a  pure 


247 


one,  or  whether  he  shall  let  it  go  on  becoming 
more  and  more  corrupt  and  foul,  till  the  light  of 
God's  judgment  comes,  in  the  words  of  an  apos- 
tle, "  to  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ." 
This  is  the  true  question  ;  not  whether  we  shall 
have  a  hidden  life,  but  whether  we  shall  neglect 
it  and  try  to  forget  what  is  within,  looking  not  at 
the  things  unseen  and  eternal,  but  at  those  seen 
and  temporal,  —  whether  we  shall  suffer  the  in- 
ward man  to  perish  day  by  day,  or  strive  to 
make  it  more  pure  day  by  day.  The  question 
is,  whether  our  life  shall  be  hidden  from  ourselves. 
For  it  cannot  be  hidden  from  God.  His  eye  is 
ever  open  on  our  heart,  and  our  soul  is  ever 
naked  to  him.  He  sets  our  secret  sins  in  the 
light  of  his  countenance.  He  writes  every 
thought  and  purpose  which  we  have,  be  it  base 
or  be  it  holy,  in  his  book  of  remembrance.  The 
hidden  man  of  the  heart  he  sees  and  will  judge. 
O,  is  it  not  a  wonderful  thing,  that  we  should 
labor  so  to  disguise  our  faults,  and  hide  our  dis- 
graces from  the  eye  of  the  world  ;  that  we  should 
shrink  with  such  fear  from  letting  our  weaknesses 
be  known  to  others  ;  that  we  should  strive  so  pain- 
fully to  deceive  ourselves,  and  persuade  ourselves 
by  all  kinds  of  sophistry  that  we  are  pure  ;  that 
we  should  take  such  pains  to  excuse  and  justify 


248  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

and  palliate  our  faults,  when  we  know  that  we 
cannot  hide  them  from  God,  and  that  in  a  very- 
few  years  they  must  be  known  to  all  ? 

Yes,  there  is  nothing  which  is  covered  which 
shall  not  be  revealed,  nor  anything  hid  which 
shall  not  be  known.  The  day  is  coming  which 
shall  try  every  man^s  work,  tear  off  eveiy  dis- 
guise, and  show  what  men  really  are.  In  that 
day  shall  the  hypocrites  call  on  the  rocks  to  cover 
them,  and  pray  to  be  buried  under  the  mountain 
avalanche  ;  —  yes,  to  be  hid  beneath  the  burning 
waves  of  the  lake  of  fire,  rather  than  to  have 
their  consciences  and  souls  probed  by  the  keen 
ray  of  truth.  Ah  !  what  a  revelation  shall  there 
be  on  that  day,  when  the  Pharisees  of  eveiy  age 
come  up  to  judgment,  saying,  "  Lord  !  Lord  !  did 
we  not  prophesy  in  thy  name,  and  in  thy  name 
cast  out  demons,  and  do  all  manner  of  wonderful 
works  }  "  and  then  shall  he  profess  unto  them, 
"  Depart  from  me,  I  never  knew  you,  ye  workers 
of  iniquity."  But  they  will  say,  "  We  were 
famous  for  our  piety,  we  were  noted  for  our  de- 
votion, we  were  of  the  strictest  sect  of  orthodoxy, 
our  names  were  in  public  charities."  "  Yes,  but 
your  hearts  were  full  of  selfishness  and  sin  ;  you 
judged  others,  you  never  judged  yourselves ;  you 
plucked  the  mote  out  of  the  eye  of  your  neigh- 


THE    soul's    hidden    LIFE.  249 

bor,  you  siifTered  the  beam  to  remain  in  your 
own  ;  you  were  bigoted,  intolerant,  uncharitable  ; 
you  had  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  you  are  none  of 
his." 

And  in  that  day  others  shall  come  up,  and 
hope  to  be  saved  because  of  their  good  works ; 
and  they  shall  say,  "  Lord,  we  were  accounted 
just  and  good  men ;  we  paid  our  debts,  we  told 
the  truth,  we  gave  to  the  poor ;  no  man  can  ac- 
cuse us  of  any  wrong."  "  Ah  !  "  but  the  Lord 
will  say,  "  your  goodness  was  a  shadow,  it  rested 
on  the  opinion  of  men  ;  you  wished  to  be  popular, 
and  to  have  the  reputation  of  virtue  and  its  ad- 
vantages, but  you  never  judged  yourselves  by 
any  purer  standard  ;  you  washed  your  hands,  but 
you  did  not  wash  your  hearts  ;  your  goodness  was 
hollow  and  selfish,  it  had  no  root  within  ;  there 
was  no  deep  conviction,  no  living  faith,  no  real 
charity,  in  your  souls  ;  depart." 

So  shall  it  be  with  the  self-deceivers  and  the 
hypocrites  on  that  great  and  terrible  day.  But 
ye,  pure  children  of  God,  who  hungered  and 
thirsted  after  real  righteousness,  who  judged  your- 
selves daily  by  the  high  standard  of  holiness, 
whose  struggles  and  prayers  and  tears  no  man 
ever  knew,  whose  secret  acts  and  words  of  love 
were  unrecorded  by  human  pen,  unuttered  by 


250     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

human  lips,  blazoned  on  no  stately  monument ; 
ye  who  suffered  wrong  patiently,  looking  for  a 
recompense  hereafter ;  ye  weak  ones,  thrust  aside 
and  trampled  under  foot  by  the  men  of  this  world  ; 
ye  solitary  ones,  living  in  the  by-ways  and  hedges 
of  life,  and  offering  your  Master  the  two  mites 
which  was  all  that  you  had,  bringing  ointment  to 
anoint  his  feet,  when  you  could  do  no  more  for 
him,  —  ye  shall  not  fail  of  your  reward  ;  your  life 
is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;  but  what  is  hid  shall  be 
known,  and  in  the  day  when  the  paraded  virtues 
of  this  world  shall  fade  beneath  the  scorching  beam 
of  the  great  judgment,  you  shall  sit  on  thrones 
and  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
Father.  The  hypocrites  and  the  hollow-hearted 
have  had  their  reward ;  they  loved  the  praise  of 
man  better  than  the  praise  of  God,  and  they  ob- 
tained it.  They  have  had  in  their  lifetime  the 
good  things  they  lusted  after.  They  lived  in  the 
smooth  element  of  plausibility,  they  were  popular 
everywhere,  for  they  took  care  never  to  run 
counter  to  any  prevailing  prejudice,  never  to  lift 
up  their  voices  against  any  prevailing  sin.  Rather 
they  busied  themselves  in  seeking  arguments  to 
protect  sinful  usages  against  the  rebuke  of  Christ, 
and  to  rock  asleep  the  half-awakened  conscience 
by  sweet  songs  of  smooth  morality.     They  were 


THE    soul's    hidden    LIFE.  251 

willing  to 

"  Torture  the  pages  of  the  blessed  Bible, 
To  sanction  crime,  and  robbery,  and  blood, 
And  in  oppression's  hateful  service  libel 
Both  man  and  God." 

They  told  pleasant  truths  in  a  pleasant  way,  and 
of  unpleasant  ones  they  said  nothing.  These 
men  were  never  found  with  the  minority,  strug- 
gling to  open  men's  eyes  to  prevailing  abuses  ; 
always  in  the  self-complacent  majority,  willing  to 
let  eveiything  remain  as  it  was.  And  so  they 
fell  asleep  amid  the  murmuring  praises  of  a  world 
always  willing  to  praise  those  who  let  it  go  its 
own  way  unreproved ;  and  so  they  were  followed 
to  their  graves  by  pompous  processions,  and  eulo- 
gies and  harangues  innumerable  were  uttered  over 
them. 

Otherwise  was  it  in  life  with  the  man  who  car- 
ried his  conscience  into  his  conduct,  and  his  heart 
on  his  lips.  Otherwise  was  it  with  him  ;  for  him 
was  ordained  a  burden  of  unsuccessful  labor  for 
truth ;  to  be  scouted  at  and  ridiculed,  and  stoned 
and  persecuted  ;  to  be  misunderstood  and  mis- 
represented ;  to  make,  indeed,  a  few  warm  friends, 
but  also  many  loud  enemies  ;  to  be  despised  and 
rejected  of  men  ;  or  at  best,  never  to  have  his 
sincere  virtues  appreciated,  never  to  win  popular 


252     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

applause  or  fame.  He  cared  not  for  it,  however ; 
he  went  his  own  way  ;  he  knew  the  Lord  was  on 
his  side ;  he  knew  that  good  men  must  be  his 
friends,  if  not  now,  by  and  by.  He  spoke  what 
seemed  to  him  to  be  the  truth,  whether  men 
would  hear  or  whether  they  would  forbear.  He 
had  delivered  his  own  soul,  and  he  left  the  rest 
to  God. 

"  He  came,  and,  baring  his  heaven-bright  thought. 
He  earned  the  base  world's  ban ; 
And,  having  vainly  lived  and  taught, 
Gave  place  to  a  meaner  man." 

No  pompous  procession  followed  him  to  the  nar- 
row grave  where  he  was  laid  to  repose ;  but  the 
faithful  feet  of  those  whom  he  had  comforted 
and  taught  and  strengthened  sought  it  day  by 
day, 

"  And  childhood's  tears,  like  summer  rain, 
Quickened  its  dying  grass  again." 

And  so  they  lie,  side  by  side,  the  plausible  man 
of  the  world  and  the  man  whose  life  was  hid 
with  Christ  in  God.  So  they  lie,  waiting  for 
the  resurrection. 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  253 


§  50.    The  Natural  Man  does  not  discern  Spirit- 
ual Truth. 

The  saying  of  the  Apostle,  that  "  the  natural 
man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  spirit  of  God, 
for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him  ;  neither  can  he 
know  them,  for  they  are  spiritually  discerned,"  — 
has  been  thought  to  be  difficult  and  made  difficult ; 
nevertheless,  it  is  in  itself  perfectly  simple  and 
intelligible. 

When  a  doctrine  is  preached  which  seems  con- 
tradictory to  reason  and  common  sense,  and  we 
object  to  it  on  that  ground,  we  are  often  told  that 
it  is  our  carnal  reason  which  is  offended,  and  then 
this  text  is  quoted,  as  though  it  meant,  "  No  one 
who  has  not  been  miraculously  converted  can 
comprehend  the  doctrines  of  Christianity." 

But  to  this  view  there  are  serious  objections. 
If  we  cannot  understand  Christian  doctrines  until 
we  are  converted,  it  would  seem  to  follow,  that 
we  never  can  understand  them  at  all.  For  these 
doctrines  contain  the  very  truth  which  is  intended 
to  convert  us,  and  except  we  understand  that  truth, 
it  can  have  no  power  over  us.  The  doctrines  of 
Christianity  are  intended  to  bring  men  to  repent- 
ance ;  but  except  they  are  understood,  they  can 
never  produce  this  result. 


254     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

If,  therefore,  this  explanation  is  not  the  true 
one,  what  is  the  real  meaning  of  the  passage  ? 

It  is  usual  for  preachers  to  divide  men  into  two 
classes,  the  converted  and  the  unconverted,  the 
penitent  and  the  impenitent,  the  saints  and  the 
sinners.  And  no  doubt  there  is  a  foundation  for 
this  distinction.  But  the  Scripture  also  divides 
men  into  three  classes,  according  to  its  threefold 
distinction  of  man  into  Spirit,  Soul,  and  Body. 
This  distinction,  almost  universal  in  ancient  times, 
considered  man  in  his  central,  essential  being  as 
A  SOUL ;  finite,  individual  ;  a  pure  unit,  or  monad  ; 
indivisible,  and  containing  in  itself  personal  iden- 
tity. This  soul,  or  Psyche^  the  central  element 
in  man,  is  connected  by  the  spirit  with  eternity 
and  God,  by  the  body  with  sense  and  time.  Now 
"  the  spiritual  man  "  is  he  whose  soul  is  turned, 
through  the  spirit,  to  eternity  and  heaven.  The 
carnal  man  is  he  whose  soul  is  turned,  through 
the  body,  to  sensual  gratification.  But  besides 
these  two  positions,  there  is  a  third,  namely,  that 
of  the  man  who  is  neither  carnal  nor  spiritual, — 
not  immersed  in  appetite,  nor  conversant  with 
God,  or  eternal  truth.  Such  a  man  is  called,  in 
the  New  Testament  language,  the  natural  man ; 
in  the  original,  the  psychical  or  soul  man.  This 
man's  position  is  that  of  the  great  majority  of 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  255 

human  beings.  They  are  not  rehgious,  they  are 
not  sensual.  They  occupy,  therefore,  that  mid- 
dle ground,  which,  for  want  of  a  better  name, 
we  call  worldliness.  Their  purposes,  occupa- 
tions, and  enjoyments  are  all  worldly,  limited  to 
the  present  life.  There  is  nothing  necessarily 
vicious  in  their  conduct.  They  conform,  in  out- 
ward behavior  and  inward  purpose,  to  the  world- 
ly standard  of  morality  and  propriety.  They 
are  not  infidels.  They  willingly  receive  Chris- 
tianity as  a  divine  revelation.  But  practically 
they  are  controlled  by  worldly  ideas ;  practically, 
Christ  is  not  their  king,  God  not  in  their  thoughts, 
eternity  and  heaven  are  things  impalpable  and 
afar  off.  While  the  spiritual  man  believes  spirit- 
ual truth,  loves  spiritual  happiness,  and  pursues 
spiritual  improvement,  and  while  the  carnal  man 
believes  in  material  things,  enjoys  sensual  grati- 
fication, and  labors  for  sensual  happiness,  the 
natural  or  ivorldly  man  is  guided  in  his  mind 
by  the  opinions  of  the  world,  loves  in  his  heart 
the  honors  and  successes  of  the  world,  and 
makes  it  the  object  of  his  efforts  to  obtain 
them. 

The  assertion  of  the  Apostle,  therefore,  is  this : 
that  the  worldly  man,  who  is  leading  a  worldly 
life,  is  unable,  while  in  this  state  of  mind,  to  see 


256     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF   PRAYER. 

the  reality  of  spiritual  things  ;  that  they  must 
seem  to  him  foolish,  impracticable,  and  visionary  ; 
and  that  the  only  way  to  discern  them  is  by 
means  of  spiritual  experience.  In  other  words, 
the  worldly  man  cannot,  by  means  of  mere  intel- 
lect, know  God  or  believe  in  Christ,  or  heartily 
accept  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.  He  asserts, 
therefore,  that  a  spiritual  preparation  is  neces- 
sary in  order  to  discern  spiritual  truth.  Now  I 
shall  endeavor  to  show  that  this  doctrine  is  unob- 
jectionable, because  it  accords  with  common  sense 
and  the  laws  of  human  nature  ;  that  it  is  certain, 
because  it  accords  with  experience  ;  and  that  it  is 
a  truth  of  the  greatest  importance  in  its  various 
applications. 

This  doctrine  accords  with  common  sense,  and 
the  laws  of  human  nature.  Common  sense  teaches 
that  every  kind  of  truth  has  its  appropriate  evi- 
dence. Thus  there  are  truths  of  the  material 
universe,  and  their  appropriate  evidence  is  the 
experience  of  the  senses.  This  evidence,  again, 
is  subdivided.  The  appropriate  evidence  of  visi- 
ble things  is  sight ;  of  tangible  things,  touch ;  of 
audible  things,  hearing  ;  and  so  forth. 

Now  suppose  a  man  should  say,  "  I  will  not 
believe  in  the  sun,  unless  I  can  touch  it ;  I  will 
not  believe  in  the  wind,  unless  I  can  see  it ;  I  will 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  257 

not  believe  that  the  rose  has  perfume,  unless  I  can 
taste  it ;  I  will  not  believe  in  the  sound  of  a  cannon, 
unless  I  can  hold  it  in  my  hand."  "  Why,"  you 
would  say  to  him,  "  you  demand,  sir,  an  inap- 
propriate kind  of  evidence,  and  you  cannot  have 
it.  A  sound  must  be  audibly  discerned  ;  an  ob- 
ject of  sight  must  be  optically  discerned." 

Again,  there  are  mathematical  and  logical 
truths,  and  these  are  discerned  by  demonstration 
or  deduction.  Thus  the  truth,  that  the  three 
angles  of  a  triangle  are  equal  to  two  right  angles, 
cannot  be  discerned  optically,  or  audibly,  but 
logically.  We  cannot  taste,  touch,  or  smell  this 
truth,  we  know  it  by  a  process  of  reasoning. 
Yet  we  are  perfectly  sure  of  it,  and  the  lives  and 
property  of  thousands  are  risked  every  year  on 
the  truth  of  it. 

Other  things  are  proved  or  discerned  by  testi- 
mony. Thus  we  all  know  that  there  is  such  a 
place  as  St.  Petersburg  ;  we  know  it  so  well,  that 
we  would  risk  our  life  on  the  certainty  of  its  ex- 
istence. Yet  we  know  it,  not  by  sensible  evi- 
dence, for  we  have  never  seen  it ;  nor  by  logical 
evidence,  for  we  could  not  reason  out  its  exist- 
ence. We  know  it  by  the  testimony  of  those 
who  have  seen  it.  Just  so  we  believe  in  the  ex- 
istence of  Julius  Csesar,  or  in  the   facts  of  the 

22* 


258     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

life  of  Jesus.     We  believe  them  by  a  chain  (or 
rather  a  web)  of  testimony. 

Other  truths,  again,  are  discerned  by  means  of 
consciousness  or  intuition  ;  for  example,  our  own 
existence.  We  cannot  touch  it  or  taste  it.  We 
cannot  prove  it  logically  or  mathematically,  we 
cannot  know  it  through  the  testimony  of  others. 
We  discern  it  intuitively.  So  likewise  it  is  with 
the  other  emotions  and  conceptions  of  the  human 
mind,  with  love,  hope,  fear,  choice,  effort,  justice  ; 
we  know  all  these,  and  distinguish  them  from 
each  other,  intuitively,  —  by  an  inward  sight. 

If,  therefore,  there  is  a  material  world,  the 
truths  of  which  are  discerned  by  the  senses,  and 
only  so  ;  if  there  are  logical  and  mathematical 
truths,  which  can  only  be  discerned  by  demon- 
stration ;  if  there  are  historical  truths,  which  can 
only  be  known  by  human  testimony ;  if  there 
are  moral  facts  and  truths,  which  can  only  be  dis- 
cerned intuitively  by  the  moral  consciousness,  — 
it  is  quite  in  accordance  with  common  sense,  and 
the  laws  of  human  nature,  that  there  should  be 
spiritual  truths,  to  be  discerned  spiritually.  It  is 
quite  natural  that  those  who  do  not  exercise  their 
spiritual  nature  should  be  incapable  of  perceiv- 
ing the  facts  of  the  spiritual  world. 

For  beside  this  law,  that  every  kind  of  truth 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  259 

has  its  own  special  organ  by  which  it  is  discerned, 
there  is  another  law,  namely,  that  these  organs 
must  be  exercised,  in  order  to  perform  their 
function.  The  senses  are  continually  exercised, 
and  therefore  they  perform  their  functions  suf- 
ficiently. But  for  finer  observations,  a  special 
exercise  is  necessary.  A  sailor  sees  a  ship  on 
the  horizon,  where  a  landsman  can  see  nothing. 
No  one  can  understand  the  truths  contained  in  a 
mathematical  or  metaphysical  work,  without  hav- 
ing exercised  his  logical  faculty.  Our  faith  in 
human  testimony,  and  in  that  of  consciousness, 
is  necessarily  in  constant  exercise,  and  there- 
fore it  enables  us  to  receive  and  to  discern  these 
truths. 

And  as  regards  the  truths  of  the  spiritual 
world,  the  case  is  the  same.  We  are  not  com- 
pelled by  the  necessities  of  life  to  commune  with 
God  and  immortality,  and  therefore  these  spirit- 
ual faculties  may  remain  unexercised.  If  they 
are  thus  unexercised,  we  shall  not  be  able  to  dis- 
cern spiritual  things.  Such  is  the  common  law 
of  all  our  faculties,  and  there  is  no  reason  to 
think  that  it  will  fail  in  this  case.  That  it  does 
not  fail  we  shall  now  show.  We  shall  show  that 
a  worldly  man  does  not,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  see 
spiritual  things,  and  that  when  he  talks  of  them, 


260     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

he  is  like  a  blind  man  describing  a  landscape,  or 
a  deaf  man  giving  an  account  of  a  concert. 

The  natural  or  worldly  man  cannot  discern 
God.  He  can  believe  in  God,  or  rather  he  can 
believe  that  there  is  a  God  on  grounds  of  infer- 
ence. This  is  the  sort  of  belief  produced  by 
the  study  of  natural  theology.  It  is  good  so  far 
as  it  goes.  But  it  is  a  cold,  lifeless,  and  unpro- 
ductive belief.  A  man  born  blind  may  believe 
that  there  is  beauty  in  outward  nature,  in  the 
face  of  man,  in  drifting  clouds  and  falling  water, 
in  the  smile  of  affection  and  the  light  filling  the 
eyes  of  genius.  On  grounds  of  testimony  he 
may  be  quite  sure  of  it ;  but  will  this  belief  be  to 
him  a  source  of  joy  and  strength,  as  to  those 
who  can  discern  it  all  ?  The  belief  of  the 
worldly  man  in  God,  is  like  this  blind  man's  be- 
lief in  a  visible  world.  It  is  quite  consistent  with 
practical  atheism.  He  is  living  without  God,  and 
therefore  he  does  not  discern  God.  He  does  not 
discern  God  in  the  world,  for  he  does  not  look 
for  God  in  the  world.  The  world  is  to  him  a 
place  where  he  can  make  money,  and  win  tri- 
umphs, enjoy  pleasure,  and  meet  with  outward 
success.  He  fixes  his  eye  on  all  its  arrange- 
ments and  combinations  for  these  purposes,  and 
therefore  does  not  see  the  great  God  behind  them. 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNBIENT.  261 

The  human  eye  is  so  constituted,  that  it  can  see 
what  is  near  to  it,  or  that  which  is  distant.  In 
looking  at  a  landscape,  we  may  look  at  the  fore- 
ground, and  so  not  see  the  background,  or  we 
can  look  at  the  distant  horizon,  and  so  compre- 
hend the  whole.  We  may  look  through  a  glass 
at  the  distant  heavens,  or  we  may  make  the  glass 
itself  the  focal  point  of  vision,  and  so  see  noth- 
ing else.  Now  the  world  is  such  a  glass.  The 
devout  man  looks  through  it  and  sees  God  ;  the 
worldly  man  sees  only  the  glass  itself.  For  we 
have  the  power  of  fixing  the  eye  of  the  soul  so 
exclusively  upon  the  things  seen  and  temporal, 
that  we  shall  not  discern  anything  of  the  awful 
eternity  behind  them.  This  the  worldly  man 
does,  and  so  becomes  a  practical  atheist,  living 
without  God.  He  does  not  see  God  in  nature, 
he  sees  only  a  dead  machine,  ingeniously  put  to- 
gether long  ago,  and  left  by  its  maker  to  grind 
out  what  results  it  may  with  its  iron  mechanism. 
He  sees  no  God  in  events,  but  only  a  hard  ne- 
cessity or  an  unmeaning  tangle  of  accidents. 
They  came  from  nothing  ;  they  tend  nowhere. 
He  sees  no  God  in  his  trials  or  his  blessings. 
He  thanks  himself,  and  not  God,  for  his  successes  ; 
he  curses  his  bad  luck  for  his  losses.  He  sees 
no  God  in  his  human  brethren ;  they  are  animals, 


262     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

creatures  of  appetite  and  selfishness.  It  were 
folly  to  try  to  do  them  good.  Such  a  man  is  in- 
capable of  generous  enthusiasm  for  right,  of  gen- 
erous indignation  at  wrong  ;  incapable  of  the  in- 
spiration coming  from  a  far-reaching  hope,  or  a 
high  devotedness  to  duty.  For  it  is  only  the 
sight  of  the  infinite  element  which  can  awaken 
such  an  enthusiasm.  His  world  is  no  Switzer- 
land, where  mountains  soar  aloft,  piercing  the 
sky  with  silver  peaks,  where  icy  rivers  roll  down 
their  ravines,  and  the  voice  of  the  avalanche 
speaks  in  thunder  above ;  but  it  is  a  monotonous 
Holland,  good  for  cultivation,  well  fitted  to  pro- 
duce cattle  and  potatoes,  but  nothing  more. 

Nor  can  the  natural  man  discern  Christ  any 
more  than  God.  He  may  be  a  firm  believer  in 
Christ  as  an  historical  and  supernatural  person. 
He  may  believe  his  miracles,  every  one  of  them, 
and  may  "  deal  damnation  round  the  land  "  at 
every  doubting  Thomas,  who  has  his  difficulties 
on  the  subject.  He  may  know  Christ  according 
to  the  flesh  ;  but  Christ  according  to  the  spirit, 
the  real  and  true  Christ,  he  cannot  discern.  The 
one  condition  of  kn'owing  Christ  is  willingness  to 
follow  him.  The  rule  holds  still,  "  How  can  ye 
believe  who  receive  honor  one  from  another, 
and  not  the  honor  which  comes  from  God  only .?  " 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  263 

The  sagacious  and  learned  gentlemen  at  Jerusa- 
lem could  not  possibly  discern  their  coming  Mes- 
siah in  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  for  he  did  not  belong 
to  their  circles,  —  he  was  a  mechanic  poorly 
dressed,  and  talked  what  seemed  to  them  radi- 
calism, democracy,  and  atheism.  We  also  find 
the  same  difficulty.  We  have  surrounded  Christ 
with  a  halo  of  glory,  worship  him  as  God,  make 
him  our  Saviour  in  a  future  life,  and  think  to  fol- 
low him  by  going  to  church,  and  partaking  of  sac- 
raments. And  so  we  do  not  see  the  real  Christ 
at  all,  —  the  friend  of  the  poor  and  wretched, 
whose  only  business  in  this  world  is  to  lift  the 
fallen  and  comfort  the  discouraged,  to  manifest 
God  as  a  father  to  the  sinner,  and  to  denounce 
all  selfishness  as  on  the  way  to  the  damnation  of 
hell.  And  so  it  happens  that  people,  thinking 
themselves  Christians,  can  make  it  their  business 
in  life  to  make  money,  to  make  power,  reputation, 
knowledge  for  themselves,  instead  of  gaining  the 
talent  in  order  to  use  it  for  others.  Thus  the 
great  mass  of  nominal  Christians  do  not  discern 
the  true  Christ,  the  friend  of  man,  who  taught  us 
to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves. 

Again,  the  natural  or  worldly  man  cannot  dis- 
cern the  essential  thing  in  Christianity  ;  that  is,  its 
spiritual  power,  —  its  faith,  hope,  and  love,  —  its 


264   THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

inward  life,  hid  in  the  soul,  making  us  strong, 
peaceful,  and  true.  These  things  must  be  spirit- 
ually discerned,  and  the  spiritual  organ,  by  which 
they  are  seen,  is  not  yet  developed  in  the  mind 
of  the  natural  man.  To  him  they  must  seem 
like  mysticism,  enthusiasm,  fanaticism,  and  folly. 
To  him  the  essential  thing  in  Christianity  is  not 
its  spiritual  part,  its  soul ;  but  its  outward  body,  its 
creeds  and  ceremonies.  He  conceives  a  man  to 
be  a  Christian  who  accepts  certain  doctrines,  and 
goes  through  certain  external  ceremonies.  If  a 
man  believes  an  orthodox  creed,  goes  to  church, 
and  partakes  of  the  Lord's  supper,  he  holds  him 
to  be,  in  all  senses,  a  Christian,  provided  his  out- 
ward conduct  be  also  decent,  and  he  keeps  himself 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  police.  He  considers  it 
the  object  of  Christianity  to  save  us  from  punish- 
ment in  the  future  life,  rather  than  from  sin  in 
the  present  life.  Faith  to  him  is  the  intellectual 
reception  of  certain  doctrines ;  hope,  the  expec- 
tation of  escaping  punishment  hereafter  ;  and  love, 
some  pious  emotion  of  satisfaction  in  being  saved 
one's  self,  while  others  are  lost.  Such  is  the 
view  which  the  worldly  man  naturally  takes  of 
the  substance  of  Christianity.  Having  no  spirit- 
ual tastes  or  sympathies,  he  has  no  means  of 
seeing  its  interior  nature.  The  outside  only  at- 
tracts him. 


SPIRITUAL    DISCERNMENT.  265 

Finally,  the  worldly  man  cannot  discern  im- 
mortality, for  that  also  must  be  spiritually  dis- 
cerned. He  accepts  the  fact  of  a  future  life,  but 
it  does  not  take  hold  of  him  as  a  reality,  because 
he  does  not  let  it  influence  his  present  course. 
If  he  lived  for  eternity,  he  would  then  feel  the 
eternal  world  always  near.  But  he  lives  for 
time,  and  therefore  knows  nothing  beyond.  When 
he  lays  his  friends'  bodies  in  the  earth,  it  is  as 
though  he  had  buried  them.  They  are  wholly 
lost  to  him.  In  the  trials  of  life  it  is  no  comfort 
to  him  to  think  of  the  happy  land  beyond,  with 
its  deeper  insight,  its  higher  aspiration,  its  larger, 
tenderer  love,  its  profound  peace,  —  the  land  of 
reunions,  where  all  tears  are  wiped  away,  where 
anxieties,  cares,  and  weighty  responsibilities  cease, 
where  Christ  shall  be  the  nearest  friend,  and  the 
presence  of  God  a  surrounding  sunlight.  Death 
is  to  him  king  of  terrors,  associated  with  coffins, 
black  dresses,  tombs,  and  desolation ;  not  the 
angel  with  golden  key,  to  unlock  the  low  portal 
through  which  we  step  into  larger  liberty  and  life. 

I  have  endeavored  to  show  that  it  is  not  by  the 
intellectual  faculty,  however  keen  and  clear,  that 
we  perceive  the  things  of  the  spiritual  world. 
There  is  a  way  by  which  they  can  become  visi- 
ble and  real  to  us,  and  thus  the  source  of  life  and 

23 


266     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

joy.  It  is  by  being  willing  to  do  God's  will,  and 
making  it  ours,  that  we  become  able  to  see  tliem. 
They  are  spiritually  discerned.  He  whose 
heart  is  pure  sees  God.  He  who  loves  goodness 
sees  Christ.  He  who  desires  to  do  his  will  knows 
of  the  doctrine.  He  who  lives  here  in  this  spirit 
has  eternal  life  abiding  in  him,  is  in  eternity 
and  heaven  now,  and  does  not  merely  believe  in 
immortality,  but  knoios  it.  In  nature  he  sees 
God  ;  in  the  events  of  histoiy  he  sees  Providence  ; 
in  sorrow  and  bereavement  he  sees  a  coming 
good  ;  in  the  letter  of  the  Bible  he  sees  its  holy 
spirit ;  and  in  the  hour  of  death,  he  sees  through 
its  clouds  and  shadows  the  heavens  open,  and 
the  Son  of  Man  standing  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  throne  of  God. 

§  51.  Nature  of  Sin,  and  the  Absence  of  a 
Sense  of  Sin. 

There  is  a  remarkable  passage  in  the  First 
Epistle  of  John,  which  asserts,  "  If  we  say  that  we 
have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth 
is  not  in  us."  This  passage  is  interesting,  but 
contains  difficulties ;  and  it  is  none  the  less  inter- 
esting on  account  of  these  difficulties.  A  pas- 
sage which  contains  no  difficulty,  contains  little 
that  we  do  not  know  already.     When  we  meet 


NATURE    OF    SIN.  267 

with  a  verse  in  the  New  Testament  which  seems 
to  contradict  other  places,  or  to  be  opposed  to 
well-known  facts,  or  to  our  opinions  and  experi- 
ence, we  may  regard  such  a  text  as  a  field  with 
treasure  hid  in  it.  That  is  the  place  where  we 
are  to  dig,  and  where  our  labor  will  be  rewarded 
by  finding  something  which  will  be  new  to  us. 
Let  us  beware  how  we  explain  away  such  a 
difficulty.  Let  us  keep  clear  of  any  explanation 
commencing  with  the  formula,  "  It  only  means  " 
this  or  that.  Let  us  expect  that  it  will  mean 
something  important,  and  dig  deep  till  we  find 
it,  or  see  that  we  are  unable  to  find  it. 

The  difficulty  in  this  passage  is  in  regard  to  a 
matter  of  fact. 

"  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin."  This  im- 
plies that  we  do  say  so,  at  any  rate  sometimes ; 
that  we  are  either  in  the  habit  of  saying  so,  or 
that  we  are  in  danger  of  saying  so.  But  is  this 
a  fact  7  Does  any  one  ever  say,  "I  have  no 
sin  "  ?  Do  we  not  all  admit  that  we  are  sinners, 
that  we  have  often  done  wrong,  that  we  are  quite 
imperfect  ?  Perhaps  the  majority  of  persons  will 
admit,  that,  theologically  speaking,  they  are  total- 
ly depraved,  in  the  theological  sense  nothing  but 
sin.  They  will  admit  this  very  cheerfully  and 
good-naturedly.     I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  met 


268     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

a  man  who  denied  that  he  was  a  sinner.  I  be- 
lieve that  almost  every  one  admits  that  he  offends, 
in  many  things,  against  the  law  of  right.  Hence 
it  would  seem  that  the  Apostle  is  mistaken  in  the 
matter  of  fact,  in  implying  that  any  one  denies 
that  he  is  a  sinner.  Here  is  a  difficulty  in  the 
passage.  Perhaps  we  may  get  its  true  explana- 
tion, by  asking  what  the  Apostle  means  by  the 
word  sin.  If  by  sin  he  means  one  thing  and 
we  mean  another,  then,  when  we  say  that  we 
are  sinners  in  our  sense  of  the  word,  we  may 
nevertheless  deny  that  we  are  sinners  in  his  sense 
of  the  word.  What,  therefore,  do  we  mean  by 
sin,  and  what  did  the  Apostle  mean  ? 

"  Sin,"  says  the  New  Testament,  "  is  the  trans- 
gression of  the  law."  But  what  law  ?  There 
are  various  kinds  of  law.  There  is,  for  example, 
tJie  laio  of  the  land,  which  forbids  those  outward 
actions  which  interfere  with  the  rights  of  our 
neighbor  ;  which  forbids  and  punishes  offences 
against  person  and  property  ;  which  forbids  mur- 
der and  theft,  and  the  lower  forms  of  these  of- 
fences, —  assault  and  battery,  breach  of  trust, 
cheating,  obtaining  money  by  false  pretences,  and 
the  like.  It  also  forbids  gross  injury  done  with 
the  tongue  or  pen,  libel  and  slander,  which  inflict 
damage  on  a  person  in  his  character,  personal  or 


NATURE    OF    SIN.  269 

social.  All  these  offences,  punishable  by  the 
law  of  the  land,  are  properly  called  crimes. 

Then  there  are  constitutional  and  organic  laws 
of  human  nature,  —  laws  written  by  God  in  the 
physical  constitution  of  man,  —  laws  which  com- 
mand sobriety,  which  forbid  excess,  which  punish 
intemperance  by  disease.  An  offence  against 
these  laws  we  call  vice.  It  is  an  offence  com- 
mitted directly  against  one's  own  physical  well- 
being,  and  indirectly  against  the  peace  and  wel- 
fare of  society.  These  offences,  however,  are 
not  often  punished  by  the  law  of  the  land,  al- 
though the  amount  of  injury  done  to  society  by 
vice  is  far  greater  than  that  which  is  done  by 
crime. 

Next  comes  the  law  of  public  opinion,  —  a  law 
varying  in  eveiy  community,  according  to  its  in- 
telligence and  morality,  requiring  and  forbidding 
more  in  one  place  than  in  another,  but  every- 
where requiring  and  forbidding  more  than  either 
of  the  other  laws.  Public  opinion,  in  every  com- 
munity, frowns  upon  actions  which  are  not  crimes 
against  the  state,  nor  vices  against  the  person. 
A  man  who  commits  neither  vice  nor  crime  may 
be  avaricious,  hard-hearted,  brutal,  insincere,  care- 
less, ill-tempered,  and  so  be  condemned  by  public 
opinion.     Offences  against  this  law  we  will  call 

23* 


270  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

improprieties.  The  conduct  of  the  man  who 
commits  them  may  be  neither  criminal  nor  vi- 
cious, but  it  is  improper. 

Next  comes  the  laiu  of  conscie^ice,  varying  in 
every  man  according  to  his  knowledge  and  cul- 
ture, but  usually  requiring  more  and  forbidding 
more  than  any  of  the  others  hitherto  mentioned. 
A  man  may  satisfy  the  law  of  the  land,  he  may 
not  offend  the  physical  laws  of  his  own  constitu- 
tion, he  may  satisfy  the  law  of  public  opinion, 
and  yet  not  satisfy  himself.  He  commits  neither 
crime,  nor  vice,  nor  impropriety,  but  he  offends 
his  own  conscience,  he  violates  his  own  resolu- 
tions and  purposes,  he  does  not  come  up  to  his 
own  idea  of  duty. 

Now  this  violation  of  the  standard  of  right  is 
what  people  usually  mean  when  they  say  that 
they  are  sinners.  They  do  not  quite  come  up  to 
their  own  ideal.  They  fall  short  of  what  their 
own  reason  and  sense  of  right  demand  of  them. 
They  do  something,  but  they  ought  to  do  more. 
By  sin,  therefore,  they  mean  imperfection. 

But  was  this  all  that  the  Apostle  meant  by  sin  ? 
I  think  he  meant  more.  It  was  not  merely  the 
violation  of  the  law  of  conscience,  which  demands 
improvement,  but  of  the  Christian  law,  which  de- 
mands love,  —  of  that  law  which  says,  "  Thou 


IGNORANCE    OF    SIN.  271 

shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  According  to  the 
Apostle,  the  essence  of  sin  was  not  in  the  out- 
ward act,  but  the  inward  selfishness.  It  was  in 
the  absence  of  love. 

This  is  the  kind  of  sin  which  we  are  veiy  apt 
to  forget  or  ignore.  This  love  is  the  one  thing 
needful.  "  He  who  loves  is  born  of  God,"  and 
"  he  who  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin." 
But  "  he  who  loveth  not,  knoweth  not  God,"  and 
"  abideth  in  death  "  and  fear  and  weakness.  If 
therefore  we  do  not  feel  this  want  of  love,  we 
feel  really  that  we  have  no  sin,  for  we  ignore  the 
very  fact  which  makes  the  essence  of  sin. 

^  52.  Hoio  Men  say  they  have  no  Sin. 

We  may  now  see  how  it  is  that  this  inward 
ignorance  of  sin  may  express  itself  in  outward 
conduct.  There  are  various  ways  in  which  men 
express  themselves.  We  may  say  things  in  words, 
in  looks,  in  actions,  in  omissions.  We  may  even 
say  one  thing  in  word  and  another  thing  in  action  ; 
and  in  this  case,  according  to  the  proverb,  the 
action  speaks  louder  than  the  word.  We  may 
thus  contradict  ourselves  without  knowing  it,  or, 
as  the  Apostle  says,  "  deceive  ourselves."  We 
deceive  ourselves,  not  others.    We  do  not  deceive 


272     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

man,  we  cannot  deceive  God.  What  we  say  with 
our  lips,  is  what  we  think  we  believe,  —  we  be- 
lieve it  with  our  superficial  opinion,  —  we  believe 
it  in  the  upper  strata  of  our  mind.  But,  mean- 
time, it  may  easily  be  that  we  think  the  opposite 
in  our  deepest  conviction,  —  a  conviction  so  deep 
that  we  are  not  aware  of  it  ourselves.  But  this 
deeper  conviction  will  also  express  itself,  not  in 
our  words  to  be  sure,  but  in  our  conduct,  tone, 
manner.  Thus  it  will  often  happen  that  a  man 
will  say  one  thing,  and  think  it  too,  with  his  su- 
perficial thought,  while  he  is  saying  the  exact  op- 
posite with  the  deeper  stress  of  his  inmost  nature, 
will,  heart,  and  conduct. 

Thus,  to  give  a  familiar  instance,  many  a 
man  says  he  is  a  democrat.  He  professes  to  be 
one,  and  thinks  he  is  one.  He  belongs  to  the 
democratic  party  ;  votes  the  democratic  ticket ; 
makes  democratic  speeches ;  perhaps  declaims 
loudly  in  favor  of  human  rights  and  universal  lib- 
erty, and  against  aristocracy  and  monopoly.  But, 
meantime,  in  his  heart  he  is  just  the  opposite  ; 
he  is  a  thorough  aristocrat ;  he  really  wants 
only  freedom  for  himself,  monopoly  for  himself, 
wealth,  station,  office,  power,  for  himself.  Give 
him  these,  and  he  directly  shows  himself  to  be 
an  aristocrat  of  the  first  water,  having  no  sym- 


IGNORANCE    OF    SIN.  273 

pathy  at  all  with  the  poor  and  oppressed.  Yet 
he  did  not  know  that  this  was  his  character ;  he 
thought  himself  a  democrat.  But  while  his  opin- 
ions and  words  said  that,  his  conduct  said  that 
his  deepest  conviction  was  quite  other. 

There  are  then  two  ways  of  saying  a  thing. 
We  say  with  our  lips  what  we  think  we  believe  ; 
we  say  with  our  conduct  what  we  really  believe. 
Who,  then,  are  they  who  say  with  their  conduct 
that  they  have  no  sin  ? 

The  Pharisee  says,  I  have  no  sin.  The  Phari- 
see is  the  man  who  substitutes  the  body  of  relig- 
ion for  its  soul,  who  substitutes  outward  goodness 
for  inward  goodness.  The  Jewish  Pharisee  sub- 
stituted ceremonies  and  ritual  service  for  justice 
and  mercy.  He  stood  by  himself  and  prayed, 
and  said,  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are.  He  had  made  clean  the  outside  of 
the  cup  and  the  platter,  and  he  did  not  remember 
that  it  might  be  full  of  evil  within.  He  believed 
himself  to  be  a  very  good  man,  and  was  so  be- 
lieved to  be  by  others.  But  Jesus  said  that  he 
was  a  hypocrite,  and  showed  him  the  inward 
blackness  of  his  heart.  Now  there  are  Christian 
Pharisees  as  well  as  Jewish  Pharisees,  and  their 
character  is  the  same  ;  the  distinctive  trait  be/ng 
that   they   make  goodness   an   outside  thing  al- 


274  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

together.  For  Christianity  has  a  soul  and  a 
body.  Its  soul  is  Truth  and  Love,  its  body  is 
the  outward  manifestation  of  Truth  and  Love 
in  the  form  of  churches,  ceremonies,  worship, 
creeds,  sacred  books,  sacred  days,  sacred  places, 
sacred  speech  and  action.  When  we  lay  an 
exclusive  stress  upon  the  soul  of  religion,  and 
forget  and  neglect  the  body  of  religion,  we 
become  mystics.  When  we  lay  an  exclusive 
stress  on  the  body  of  religion,  and  forget  the 
soul,  we  become  Pharisees.  We  also  see  that 
there  may  be  various  kinds  of  Pharisees.  There 
is  the  ceremonial  Pharisee,  to  whom  the  out- 
ward church  and  visible  worship  is  the  whole  of 
religion  ;  there  is  the  orthodox  Pharisee,  to  whom 
the  true  creed  is  the  essential  thing  in  Chris- 
tianity ;  and  there  is  the  moral  Pharisee,  to  whom 
the  outside  of  decent  moral  conduct  makes  the 
whole  of  religion.  But  all  these  Pharisees  agree 
in  thinking  themselves  free  from  sin.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  form,  they  may  call  themselves  sinners, 
but  they  do  not  really  believe  themselves  so. 
The  ceremonial  Pharisee  regards  as  sinners  the 
non-profqpsors,  —  the  world's  people,  —  those  who 
laugh  and  dance  and  make  merry,  —  those  who 
do  not  belong  to  the  true  Church,  —  heretics  and 
dissenters.     He  knows  no  sin  but  ceremonial  sin, 


IGNORANCE    OF    SIN.  275 

and  that  he  does  not  commit.  So  he  says,  1 
have  no  sin.  In  Hke  manner  the  orthodox  Phari- 
see, who  makes  Christianity  consist  in  believing 
the  right  creed,  considers  himself  free  from  sin 
so  long  as  he  holds  the  true  doctrine.  If  a  dying 
man  mutters  something  about  atonement  and  the 
blood  of  Christ,  he  immediately  concludes  that 
everything  is  right.  He  may  himself  have  noth- 
ing of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  ;  he  may  be  hard,  un- 
forgiving, and  full  of  inward  evil,  yet  he  does 
not  notice  this,  but  is  only  anxious  to  keep  hold 
of  the  sound  letter  of  doctrine.  But  there  is  an- 
other kind  of  Pharisee,  to  whom  Christianity  con- 
sists in  decent  outward  conduct,  in  good  behav- 
ior, no  matter  what  is  its  motive.  Now,  as  their 
deportment  may  be  very  fair,  and  as  the  world 
does  not  condemn  them,  they  really  regard  them- 
selves as  free  from  sin,  only  a  little  imperfect, 
not  as  good  as  they  might  be.  They  have  never 
seen  their  inward  bondage  to  the  law  of  self. 
And  when  they  speak  of  sinners,  they  mean 
drunkards,  and  robbers,  and  characters  of  that 
class.  All  of  these  three  kinds  of  Pharisees  say, 
by  their  spirit  and  conduct,  that  they  have  no  sin. 
Again,  the  unforgiving  man  says,  I  have  no 
sin.  I  once  heard  of  a  New  Zealand  chief,  who, 
when  he  recited  the  Lord's  prayer,  always  said, 


276     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

"  Forgive  us  our  trespasses,  though  we  do  not 
forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us."  That 
was  at  least  honest  and  frank.  But  when  we, 
who  know  what  the  Christian  rule  is,  are  harsh, 
relentless,  and  unforgiving,  we  show  that  we  do 
not  really  believe  ourselves  to  be  sinners.  For 
the  consciousness  of  our  own  inward  emptiness 
and  evil  would  make  it  impossible  to  look  with 
severity  upon  the  faults  of  others. 

Again,  he  who  excuses  or  justifies  himself  says 
virtually,  I  have  no  sin.  The  habit  of  making 
.  excuses  is  opposed  both  to  humility  and  to  truth- 
fulness. It  is  a  region  half-way  between  the  land 
of  truth  and  the  land  of  falsehood.  A  veiy 
truthful  person  never  makes  excuses,  for  this 
turns  away  the  attention  from  the  main  point  at 
issue,  and  confuses,  more  or  less,  moral  distinc- 
tions. But  he  who  has  acquired  the  habit  of 
making  excuses,  systematically  looks  away  from 
his  own  wrong  act  in  his  search  for  extenuating 
circumstances.  These  circumstances  can  always 
be  found.  For  no  one  ever  acts  without  tempta- 
tion, and  the  temptation  is  made  the  excuse.  So 
that  at  last  the  person  who  makes  excuses  never 
feels  himself  to  blame  for  anything,  because  there 
was  always  some  temptation  to  which  he  yielded. 
Thus  all  sense  of  sin  disappears  out  of  the  mind, 


IGNORANCE    OF    SIN.  277 

and  instead  of  feeling  guilty,  one  comes  to  feel 
as  if  he  were  the  injured  party,  as  if  he  ought 
rather  to  be  pitied  than  to  be  blamed,  and  as  if  he 
had  a  right  to  complain  of  Providence,  and  be 
angry  with  the  Almighty,  for  exposing  him  to 
such  temptations.  Thus  a  habit  of  making  ex- 
cuses is  the  same  thing  as  saying,  I  have  no 
sin,  and  is  inconsistent  with  strict  truthfulness, 
concientiousness,  and  humility. 

Again,  a  man  who  does  not  watch  —  the  care- 
less man  —  says,  I  have  no  sin.  For  a  sense  of 
danger  makes  us  watchful.  Few  men  sleep  quite 
as  soundly  in  a  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi,  as 
they  do  in  their  own  bed  at  home.  When  an 
enemy  is  near,  we  place  sentinels  and  establish 
outposts  and  keep  on  the  alert.  If  we  have  a 
powder-magazine,  we  are  careful  to  protect  it 
against  fire  and  lightning.  Those  who  live  near 
Vesuvius  watch  the  sounds  and  the  vapor  and 
smoke  which  come  from  it,  lest,  on  a  sudden, 
its  serene  quiet  may  be  changed  into  destructive 
activity.  But  we  who  have  within  a  sleeping 
volcano  of  passions,  tendencies  to  selfishness  and 
woridliness,  and  the  love  of  money,  of  power,  of 
pleasure,  which  may  burst  forth  and  sv/eep  us 
away  as  others  have  been  swept  away,  —  how 
is  it  possible  for  us  to  be  careless  ?     If  we  do 

24 


278     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

not  watch,  it  is  because  we  do  not  realize  this 
danger,  nor  believe  that  we  have  such  tendencies. 
In  other  words,  it  is  because  we  say,  We  have 
no  sin. 

Again,  the  man  who  does  not  pray  says,  by 
that  conduct,  I  have  no  sin.  Whenever  we  are 
conscious  of  danger  and  evil,  we  instinctively 
cry  for  help.  In  the  moment  of  shipwreck,  even 
the  atheist  cries  out  to  God,  and  the  blasphemer 
turns  from  cursing  to  prayer.  I  never  yet  saw  a 
person  on  a  death-bed  who  was  not  glad  to  have 
me  pray  with  him.  In  that  solemn  hour,  moving 
on  every  moment,  with  irresistible  stress,  toward 
the  great  change,  those  who  were  in  life  the 
most  worldly  wish  to  pray.  They  forget  all 
their  old  theories  about  the  uselessness  of  prayer. 
A  profounder  instinct  sweeps  away  these  objec- 
tions. And,  in  like  manner,  many  persons  in 
life  never  pray  in  earnest  until  they  become  con- 
scious of  sinfulness.  The  awakened  sinner  cries 
out  to  God.  It  is  impossible  to  bear  the  burden 
of  conscience  without  praying.  And  therefore, 
if  one  does  not  pray,  it  is  evident  that  he  does 
not  believe  himself  seriously  and  really  a  sinner. 
This  is  the  way  men  say  they  have  no  sin. 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  279 

§  53.  Confession  of  Sin,  and  its  Results. 

We  now  ask,  in  the  frst  place,  What  is 
Confession  ?  And,  in  the  second  place,  we  must 
ask,  Hoio  does  it  procure  pardon  and  salva- 
tion ? 

Confession,  certainly,  does  not  mean  merely 
saying  that  we  are  sinners.  A  person  may  no 
doubt  repeat  the  Litany,  and  call  himself  a  mis- 
erable sinner  ever  so  often,  without  really  con- 
fessing  his  sin.  He  must  not  only  call  himself  a 
sinner,  but  also  see  that  he  is  a  sinner.  That  is, 
he  must  be  his  own  judge,  critic,  and  censor, — 
keep  an  eye  upon  himself,  —  have  a  true  standard 
of  action  before  his  eyes,  and  walk  according  to 
it.  All  this  is  implied  in  the  sight  of  our  sins. 
But  there  is  something  more  implied  in  confes- 
sion even  than  this.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  see 
our  sins  and  admit  them.  True  confession  also 
implies  that  we  feel  them.  A  merely  intellectual 
recognition  may  be  cold.  It  is  necessary  to  re- 
alize the  sinfulness  of  sin,  to  see  that  it  is  really 
SIN,  not  merely  folly  or  fault  or  imperfection  ;  to 
see  it  as  something  odious  and  detestable.  For, 
otherwise,  we  do  not  see  it  as  siii  at  all,  —  not  as 
an  offence  against  God,  but  only  as  something 
injurious  to  ourselves  or  to  our  neighbor. 


280     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

We  may  therefore  define  confession  as  con- 
sisting of  three  parts.  First,  the  sight  of  our 
sins.  Second,  the  feeling  of  their  sinfuhiess  ; 
and,  in  the  third  place,  some  kind  of  utterance^ 
manifestation^  or  expression  of  this  conviction 
and  feeling. 

And  yet,  now  that  we  have  thus  made  out  our 
definition,  it  would  seem  to  be  inadequate.  For  it 
does  not  satisfy  the  very  first  illustration  which 
occurs  to  us.  Consider  the  case  of  Peter  and 
that  of  Judas.  Peter  denied  his  Master  ;  Judas 
betrayed  him.  But  Judas,  when  he  found  that 
his  Master  was  condemned,  repented  himself,  we 
read,  "  and  brought  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to 
the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying,  '  I  have 
sinned,  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent 
blood.'  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver 
in  the  temple,  and  departed,  and  went  and  hanged 
himself."  Now  here,  in  the  case  of  Judas,  would 
seem  to  be  fulfilled  our  three  conditions  of  true 
confession.  He  saw  correctly  the  nature  of  his 
sin,  —  "J  have  sinned,  in  that  I  have  hetrayed 
the  innocent  bloody  He  openly  expressed  this 
conviction,  both  in  word  and  action.  And  he 
showed  the  depth  of  his  conviction  by  taking  his 
own  life.  This,  therefore,  would  seem  to  have 
been  a  true  and  perfect  confession.     And  if  so, 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  281 

according  to  the  Apostle,  God  was  bound  by  his 
own  faithfuhiess  and  justice  to  forgive  Judas,  and 
to  cleanse  him  from  all  unrighteousness.  But  his 
despair  shows  that  he  was  not  forgiven.  And  if 
he  had  been  cleansed  from  all  unrighteousness, 
instead  of  taking  his  life,  he  would  have  devoted 
it  to  preaching  the  Gospel. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  the  case  of  Peter. 
He  does  not  seem  to  have  made  a  true  confession 
at  all,  and  yet  he  was  forgiven.  He  saw  and  felt 
his  sin  indeed.  But  he  made  no  open  or  public 
avowal  of  it.  He  went  out  and  wept  bitterly. 
But  he  did  not  retract  his  denial,  or  declare  man- 
fully that  he  was  a  follower  of  Jesus.  His  sub- 
sequent life,  indeed,  was  an  open  avowal  of  the 
truth  ;  but  the  purpose  and  intention  seems  to 
have  been,  in  his  case,  already  accepted  for  the 
act.  For  we  find  him  already,  at  the  time  of  the 
resurrection,  in  the  company  of  the  other  dis- 
ciples again,  and  restored  to  his  old  place  in  the 
Master's  household. 

There  is  something,  therefore,  in  true  confes- 
sion, besides  what  we  have  intimated.  And  this 
is  the  spirit,  which  makes  it  a  Christian  confession 
or  the  contrary.  The  spirit  may  be  either  that 
of  despair,  like  that  of  Judas,  or  of  trusting  hope, 
like  that  of  Peter.  And  this  spirit,  more  than  the 
24* 


282     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

outward  manifestation,  constitutes  the  essence  of 
true  confession. 

The  question  therefore  arises,  What  is  the 
spirit  of  confession  ?  And  this  is  best  known  by- 
means  of  illustrations. 

In  the  seventh  chapter  of  Luke,  there  is  the 
story  of  the  woman  who  brought  a  box  of  oint- 
ment and  anointed  therewith  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
washing  them  with  her  tears,  and  wiping  them 
with  the  hair  of  her  head.  She  did  not  say  a 
word,  but  her  actions  expressed  the  tenderness  of 
her  heart.  The  spirit  of  confession  was,  in  this 
case,  the  spirit  of  love.  And  so  her  sins  were 
forgiven. 

Again,  in  the  story  of  the  Pharisee  and  Publi- 
can, the  Publican,  who  stood  afar  off,  and  did 
not  lift  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  smote  upon 
his  breast,  saying,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner,"  was  justified  or  forgiven.  In  this  case, 
his  confession  took  an  outward  form,  and  ex- 
pressed itself  in  an  open  humility.  The  spirit  of 
confession  was  here  a  spirit  of  humility. 

So,  in  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  there 
was  an  open  confession,  accompanied  with  the 
signs  of  humility  and  the  evidences  of  sincere 
penitence.  The  spirit  of  confession,  in  this  case, 
was  a  spirit  of  humility^  repentance^  and  refor- 
mation. 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  283 

Again,  in  the  story  of  the  two  sons,  one  of 
whom  when  told  to  go  and  work,  said  that  he 
would  go,  but  did  not,  and  the  other  refused  to 
go,  but  afterwards  repented  and  went,  it  is  ap- 
parent that  the  action  of  the  last  was  equivalent 
to  a  confession  that  he  had  done  wrong.  In  this 
case,  the    spirit  of  confession    was   a   spirit   of 

ABIENDMENT. 

The  spirit  of  confession,  therefore,  implies  the 
presence  of  humility,  love,  and  a  purpose  of  im- 
provement. The  outward  form  which  it  assumes 
may  be  a  form  of  words,  of  silent  tears,  or  of 
conduct  without  either  words  or  tears.  But  a 
noble-hearted  person  wishes  always,  when  con- 
vinced of  error  or  evil,  to  manifest  in  some  out- 
ward way,  either  by  word  or  action,  this  con- 
sciousness. It  is  not  enough  that  he  feels  con- 
vinced, he  wishes  to  express  that  conviction,  or, 
as  we  say,  to  unburden  himself.  He  must  do 
something  to  show  his  change  of  conviction  and 
feeling.  The  simplest  mode  of  confession  is,  no 
doubt,  in  words.  Yet  one  may  sometimes  feel 
that  actions  will  speak  louder  than  words ;  words 
are  more  liable  to  be  misunderstood  than  actions. 
But  a  sincere  penitence  will  certainly  manifest 
itself  in  some  way.  It  wishes  to  come  to  the 
light.     It  feels  that  it  is  due  to  truth  that  it  should 


284     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

bear  its  testimony  in  her  behalf.  If  its  past  con- 
duct has  tended  to  discredit  justice  and  righteous- 
ness, it  wishes  now  to  make  an  open  atonement, 
and  to  avow  different  convictions  and  ideas.  A 
man  may  secretly  change  his  conduct  from  wrong 
to  right ;  having  wronged  another,  he  may  pri- 
vately make  restitution ;  but  this  will  hardly  sat- 
isfy his  own  conscience.  It  is  not  yet  a  complete 
repentance. 

We  sometimes  see  instances  of  sums  of  money 
being  returned  through  the  post-office,  or  by  the 
hands  of  a  priest,  to  a  person  who  has  been  de- 
frauded. In  these  cases,  I  think  we  feel  that  the 
repentance  is  not  entire ;  that  there  is  something 
else  still  to  be  done.  And  this  is  an  objection 
against  the  whole  Roman  Catholic  system  of  con- 
fession, —  that  it  substitutes  a  half-confession  for  a 
whole  one.  It  is  a  compromise  with  conscience. 
The  man  who  has  injured  his  neighbor,  and  has 
done  harm  to  society  in  various  ways,  and  who 
has  not  the  courage  openly  to  admit  his  faults  to 
the  injured  party  and  to  others,  compromises  by 
telling  the  priest,  whom  he  knows  to  be  bound  to 
secrecy.  I  do  not  think  that  the  absolution  of 
the  priest  will  enable  him  to  feel  that  he  is  for- 
given by  God.  There  is  still  something  wanting 
to  the  completeness  of  the  atonement. 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  285 

And  now  we  are  prepared  to  ask,  why  it  is 
that  true  confession  procures  pardon  and  freedom 
from  sin  ;  why  it  is  that,  if  we  confess  our  sin, 
God  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sin. 

There  is  something  pecuUar  in  the  statement 
of  the  Apostle  John.  It  is  singular  that  it  should 
be  said,  that  forgiveness  comes  from  the  faith- 
fulness and  justice  of  God,  rather  than  from  the 
Divine  mercy.  We  should  have  said,  "  If  we 
repent  of  our  sin,  God  is  merciful  and  will  for- 
give it."  And,  in  fact,  nothing  is  more  frequent, 
than  for  theologians  to  argue,  notwithstanding  this 
text,  that  the  sinner,  even  when  repenting,  can 
expect  nothing  from  the  Divine  justice  but  pun- 
ishment. But  the  Apostle's  statement  is  very 
distinctly  to  the  contrary.  What  are  we  to  un- 
derstand by  it  ? 

We  are  certainly  not  to  understand  that  con- 
fession has  any  magical  quality,  nor  that  this  is 
an  arUtrary  enactment  of  the  Divine  will.  God's 
justice  and  faithfulness  mean  his  fidelity  to  the 
laws  of  his  own  nature.  It  is  the. very  law  of 
the  Divine  nature  which  is  pledged  to  the  for- 
giveness of  him  who  confesses  his  sin.  By  con- 
fession, he  puts  himself  in  accordance  with  the 
nature  of  things  ;  and  the  permanency  of  the 
Divine  nature  and  government  is  his  pledge  that 
he  shall  be  pardoned  and  saved. 


286     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Jesus  has  declared  that  there  is  nothing  covered 
which  shall  not  be  revealed,  neither  anything  hid 
which  shall  not  be  known.  This  is  a  law  of  the 
Divine  government.  Everything  must  come  to 
the  light,  either  willingly  or  unwillingly,  whether 
it  be  good  or  whether  it  be  evil.  When  evil 
comes  willingly  to  the  light  and  judges  itself,  it 
is  confession.  When  it  comes  unwillingly,  it  is 
judgment.  Evil  must  therefore  either  confess 
itself,  or  it  must  be  judged.  We  feel  the  right- 
eousness of  this,  —  that  evil  ought  not  to  hide  it- 
self for  ever  from  the  light.  Our  sense  of  justice 
requires  that  it  should  be  exposed ;  that  it  should 
not  wear  the  garb  of  virtue  ;  that  it  should  not 
seem  triumphant  and  plausible  always.  In  the 
case  of  others,  we  see  this  very  plainly.  When 
a  bad  man  —  a  hard,  selfish  man  —  succeeds  in 
his  enterprises,  tramples  upon  the  rights  of  others 
with  impunity,  and  acquires  so  much  power  that 
no  one  dares  to  rebuke  him,  but,  instead,  he  is 
surrounded  with  flatterers  who  justify  his  course, 
what  do  we  wish  ?  what  do  we  demand  of  the 
Infinite  Justice  ?  Not,  I  think,  punishment^  so 
much  as  judgment.  We  wish  that  he  should 
be  made  to  see  himself  as  he  really  is,  and  that 
he  should  be  seen  by  others  as  he  really  is,  that 
he  should  be  exposed  in  his  true  character ;  and 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  287 

that  being  done,  we  ask  nothing  further.  We  do 
not  ask  or  wish  for  any  punishment  beyond  this. 
But  this  we  ask,  not  in  any  personal  or  private 
interest,  but  in  the  interests  of  truth  and  justice. 
And  if,  instead  of  this,  he  should  come  to  recog- 
nize his  own  evil,  and  should  voluntarily  confess 
and  deplore  his  wickedness,  and  make  what  atone- 
ment was  in  his  power,  the  sense  of  justice  will 
be  equally  satisfied,  and  we  should  demand  noth- 
ing more. 

Now  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament  teaches 
that  precisely  this  is  the  law  of  the  Divine  nature 
and  the  Divine  government.  We  must  either 
confess  or  be  judged.  We  must  either  see  our 
sins  ourselves,  and  show,  by  a  change  of  con- 
duct and  manner,  that  we  see  them,  which  is  con- 
fession, or  else  we  may  be  sure  that  the  working 
of  an  inevitable  law  will  manifest  them  openly, 
either  in  this  life  or  in  the  other,  to  ourselves  and 
to  all.  And  this  is  judgment.  This  is  the  judg- 
ment of  which  Paul  speaks  when  he  speaks  of 
the  day  in  which  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of 
men  by  Christ  Jesus.  The  doctrine  of  judgment 
to  come  is  a  great  and  permanent  doctrine  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  is  founded  on  the  very  na- 
ture of  things.  God  is  in  his  nature  Light,  es- 
sential Light.     To  come  to  God  is  to  come  to  the 


288     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

Light,  and  to  come  to  the  Light  is  to  come  to 
God.  As  the  seed  tends  to  the  light,  as  the  bud 
unfolds  toward  the  light,  S9  the  process  of  human 
development  consists  in  unfolding  and  developing 
from  within  the  soul  all  that  is  there,  both  good 
and  evil.  Every  step  in  human  life  is  a  step  in 
this  process  of  development.  The  external  world 
with  its  beauty  and  variety  tempts  forth  our  fac- 
ulties and  powers.  All  education  is  the  bringing 
out  or  educing  that  which  is  within.  Labor  and 
study,  pleasure  and  pain,  success  and  failure, 
sorrow  and  bereavement,  temptation  and  sin,  all 
reveal  man  to  himself.  If  he  passes  through  all 
these  experiences  in  the  love  of  truth,  not  de- 
ceiving himself,  but  judging  himself  as  he  would 
judge  others,  he  constantly  advances  nearer  to 
God  and  to  eternal  life.  But  if  he  says  he  has 
no  sin,  if  he  excuses  and  justifies  himself,  hardens 
himself  against  the  truth,  and  makes  his  will  his 
law,  then  he  makes  it  necessary  that  he  should 
be  judged  by  that  divine  law  of  God.  A  judg- 
ment of  shame,  remorse,  and  anguish  is  the  best 
thing  for  him  who  refuses  to  judge  himself  by  a 
healthy  and  purifying  confession  of  his  evil. 

If  we  confess  our  sins,  God  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins.  What  is  this  forgiveness 
which  comes  as  the  necessary  and  inevitable  con- 


CONFESSION    OF    SIN.  289 

sequence  of  confession  ?  It  is  the  inward  sense 
of  reconciliation,  the  taking  away  of  all  estrange- 
ment, the  Father's  love  shed  abroad  in  the  heart, 
the  removal  of  every  inward  barrier  or  wall  of 
division.  This  wall  of  division  is  solely  our  own 
wilfulness  of  choice,  —  our  determination  to  see 
things  as  we  choose,  and  not  as  they  are,  which 
is  equivalent  to  loving  darkness  rather  than  light. 
But  when  we  love  darkness,  we  thereby  turn 
away  from  God,  and  immediately  feel  ourselves 
alienated  from  his  love  and  life.  Our  heart  is 
cold  and  hard.  We  are  in  a  far  country,  under  a 
sense  of  the  Divine  displeasure.  But  when  we  look 
again  at  the  truth,  and  by  the  sight  and  confes- 
sion of  sin  return  to  God,  the  barrier  falls.  Love 
flows  in,  attended  by  peace  and  hope.  The  day 
grows  beautiful  and  serene,  the  air  is  filled  with 
the  love  of  God.  All  is  .cheerful,  bright,  and 
fair.  Thus  it  is,  that,  if  we  confess  our  sins,  the 
laws  of  the  Divine  nature,  which  are  God's  faith- 
fulness and  justice,  make  it  inevitable  that  our 
sins  shall  be  forgiven. 

But  there  is  one  step  more.  The  promise  is 
not  only  that  we  shall  be  forgiven  our  sin,  but 
also  that  we  shall  be  cleansed  from  all  unright- 
eousness. A  true  confession  saves  us  not  only 
from  the  guilt,  but  also  from  the  power,  of  evil. 
25 


290      THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

This  is  the  great  hope  set  before  us  in  the  Gospel, 
of  an  entire  redemption  from  sin.  Nor  is  there 
anything  unnatural  or  arbitrary  in  this.  The 
self-will  and  pride  which  refuse  to  see  and  ad- 
mit their  evil,  prevent  the  possibility  of  improve- 
ment. But  the  humility  which  opens  the  heart  to 
God's  love,  which  gives  the  peace  of  reconcilia- 
tion, which  creates  a  thankful  gratitude,  is  an  in- 
finite power  in  the  soul,  of  progress  and  purity. 
This  love  makes  all  things  new,  casts  out  all 
demons  of  selfishness  and  worldly  desire,  and  by 
sweet  gradations  cleanses  the  soul  from  all  un- 
righteousness, until  we  can  say  that  God's  will 
is  ours,  and  adopt  the  language  of  the  hymn :  — 

"  I  Avorship  thee,  sweet  Will  of  God, 
And  all  thy  ways  adore. 
And  every  day  I  live,  I  long 
To  love  thee  more  and  more. 

"  All  that  God  blesses  is  our  good, 
And  unblest  good  is  ill ; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 
If  it  be  His  dear  will. 

I  have  no  cares,  0  blessed  "Will, 

For  all  my  cares  are  thine ; 
I  live  in  triumph,  Lord  !  for  thou 

Hast  made  thy  triumphs  mine." 


THE  soul's  assurance.  291 

§   54.      The    SouVs  Assurance. 

Few  more  important  questions  can  be  asked, 
among  those  which  have  two  sides,  than  "  Can 
we  know  that  we  are  Christians  ?  Can  we  have 
an  assurance  that  our  sins  are  forgiven  us,  that  we 
are  of  the  Truth,  that  we  are  truly  converted, 
really  regenerated  ?  Can  we  know  that  we  have 
such  a  measure  of  faith,  such  a  degree  of  relig- 
ious experience,  such  sincerity,  such  piety,  such 
holiness,  that  we  may  call  ourselves  the  children 
of  God  ?  " 

This  question,  I  have  intimated,  has  two  sides ; 
many  would,  perhaps,  answer  it  in  the  negative ; 
I  answer  it  unhesitatingly  in  the.  affirmative.  I 
believe,  not  merely  that  we  can  have  this  assurance 
of  heart  towards  God,  but  that  we  ought  to  hoive  it, 
and  that  there  is  some  serious  defect  in  our  relig- 
ious experience,  or  some  sad  error  in  our  mode 
of  thinking,  if  we  are  destitute  of  this  confidence. 
If  we  do  not  knoio  that  we  are  Christians,  it  is 
either  because  we  really  are  not  Christians,  or 
because  we  have  been  taught  that  we  cannot  know 
it,  and  so  have  left  off  trying  to  know  it.  I  wish 
therefore  to  show  that  every  true  Christian  can 
know  that  he  is  a  true  Christian,  and  ought  to 
know  it. 


292         THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

I  do  not  mean  that  we  ought  to  think  ourselves 
very  good  ;  the  better  a  man  is,  the  more  he  sees 
of  his  defects  and  sins.  I  do  not  mean  that  we 
should  believe  ourselves  very  religious,  holy,  or 
pure  ;  if  we  are  so,  we  shall  see  how  little  it  all  is 
compared  with  what  we  ought  to  be.  Nor  do  I 
mean  that  we  can  or  ought  to  feel  sure  of  salva- 
tion, —  sure  of  going  to  heaven.  As  long  as  we 
live,  we  are  in  danger  of  falling  ;  as  long  as  we 
live,  we  must  work  out  our  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,  and  give  diligence  to  make  our 
calling  and  election  sure.  Nor  do  I  mean  to  say 
that  we  can  be  sure  of  being  right  in  our  religious 
opinions  ;  I  wish  to  open  no  door  for  dogmatism. 
People  often  say,  "  I  am  sure  I  am  right,  and 
that  's  all  I  want  to  know  about  it."  But  this 
assurance  of  which  I  speak,  does  not  relate  to 
opinion  or  belief,  —  it  is  an  assurance  of  the  heart 
before  God,  not  of  the  head.  Of  this  other  kind  of 
assurance,  which  leads  people  to  think  their  creed 
certainly  right,  they  have  quite  enough  already. 

But  what  I  mean  is  briefly  this,  —  that  we  can 
be  sure  that  we  are  on  the  right  way ;  not  sure 
that  we  have  attained  salvation,  but  sure  that  we 
can  attain  it ;  not  sure  that  we  have  attained  all 
truth,  but  sure  that  we  see  the  essential,  central, 
fundamental  truth  ;  not  sure  that  we  love   God 


THE  soul's  assurance.  293 

with  all  our  heart,  but  sure  that  we  do  love  him 
sincerely  and  really ;  not  sure  that  we  are  obe- 
dient in  all  things,  but  sure  that  it  is  our  aim  and 
purpose  to  obey  ;  not  sure  that  our  faith  and  peni- 
tence are  what  they  should  be,  but  that  we  have 
the  germs  of  true  penitence,  and  the  seeds  of  a 
right  faith.  We  may  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life,  —  know  that,  whereas  we 
were  once  blind,  now  we  see,  —  know  that  we 
are  sincere  in  our  purpose  and  our  effort,  and  that 
we  have  a  peace  and  a  joy  within,  from  commun- 
ing with  God,  which  cannot  be  taken  from  us. 

I  do  not  mean  that  we  can  have  this  assurance, 
except  we  seek  for  it  by  self-examination  and 
prayer  and  solitary  determination.  It  is  not  a  hlind 
confidence,  but  an  intelligent  and  thoughtful  faith, 
— a  faith  in  ourselves,  which  has  its  root  in  a  faith 
in  God.  Such  a  faith  as  this  is  both  possible  and 
very  desirable. 

It  is  possible  for  us  all  to  have  it.  Yet  some 
will  say.  No,  it  is  not  possible.  "  A  person  may 
be  deceived,"  they  say;  "he  may  think  he  is 
actuated  by  high  motives,  when  in  reality  he  is 
influenced  by  low  ones  ;  he  may  think  he  loves 
God,  when  in  fact  he  is  a  formalist.  Do  we  not 
see  instances  of  this  every  day  ?  If  one  may  be 
self-deceived,  so  may  another ;  so  may  all  of  us. 


294  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

We  may  all  think  that  we  are  really  Christians, 
when  we  are  not." 

In  reply  to  this  I  say,  Undoubtedly,  persons 
are  deceived  in  this  manner  about  themselves, 
continually,  and  undoubtedly  we  may  be  also. 
But  that  is  not  the  question  ;  the  question  is.  Need 
we  be  deceived  ?  Must  we  be  deceived  ?  Is  it 
not  our  own  fault  if  we  are  ?  Is  it  not  because  we 
do  not  endeavor  to  be  undeceived,  —  because  we 
are  not  strict  with  ourselves,  but  take  it  for  grant- 
ed, as  a  matter  of  course,  that  our  hearts  are  right, 
when  we  have  no  evidence  of  it  at  all  ? 

Most  of  us  deceive  ourselves  about  our  abilities, 
or  our  knowledge,  or  our  attainments  ;  but  we 
need  not  deceive  ourselves.  It  is  in  our  own 
power,  if  we  choose  to  understand  ourselves  aright 
in  these  particulars.  Just  so,  I  admit  that  we  are 
very  much  in  the  habit  of  deceiving  ourselves 
about  our  spiritual  condition.  But  what  I  contend 
for  is,  that  we  need  not  do  so.  It  is  possible  for 
all  of  us  to  say  with  the  Apostle,  "  Hereby  know 
we  that  we  are  of  the  Truth,  and  assure  our 
hearts  before  Him." 

But  it  may  be  said,  "  Does  not  the  Bible  de- 
clare that  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things, 
and  desperately  wicked,  —  who  can  know  it.''" 
I  reply,  the  heart  is  deceitful,  —  I  admit  it ;  but  to 


THE  soul's  assurance.  295 

the  question,  "  Who  can  know  it  ?  "  I  answer,  God 
can  know  it.  His  eye  can  see  into  the  deepest  re- 
cesses of  our  soul,  can  trace  every  winding  of  our 
heart ;  and  what  lie  sees,  that  he  can  reveal.  And 
that  is  the  way,  and  the  only  way,  by  which  we 
can  truly  know  ourselves,  by  communion  with 
God.  It  is  "  his  spirit  that  beareth  witness  with 
our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God." 
There  is  a  voice  of  God  which  speaks  in  our  soul, 
to  condemn  or  to  acquit  us,  and  whenever  we 
choose  to  come  out  from  the  bustle  of  our  noisy 
life,  and  look  into  ourselves,  we  can  see  what  is 
the  language  of  that  voice.  What  did  Paul  mean 
when  he  said,  "  Herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to 
have  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward 
God  and  toward  men  "  ?  Was  it  not  possible  for 
him  to  Jcnoio  whether  his  conscience  was  void  of 
offence  ?  What  did  he  mean  by  saying,  "  My 
conscience  bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  —  by  "  having  peace  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus,"  —  by  "having  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  —  or  by 
exhorting  believers  to  "  draw  near  to  God  with  a 
true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith  "  ?  In  fine, 
except  it  be  possible  to  know  that  w^e  are  Chris- 
tians, who  has  a  right  to  any  of  the  promises  ad- 
dressed to  Christians  in  the  New  Testament } 


296      THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

If,  then,  it  be  possible  to  have  this  assurance, 
certainly  it  is  also  very  desirable  to  have  it.  On 
this  point  let  us  dwell,  for  I  think  that  many 
do  not  sufficiently  perceive  the  vast  spiritual 
advantage  which  comes  to  us  from  a  cheerful, 
confident  faith,  and  a  well-founded,  intelligent 
hope ;  nor  do  they  understand  the  spiritual  weak- 
ness which  is  the  sure  result  of  perpetual  anxiety 
and  doubt  concerning  our  own  inward  condition. 
It  seems  to  me  to  be  the  one  essential  blessing  of 
Christianity,  that  it  can  inspire  this  confident  trust 
in  the  love  of  God  ;  that  it  can  clear  away  all 
doubts,  ease  the  pangs  of  sin,  extinguish  the  ag- 
onizing fires  of  remorse,  and  open  a  path  from 
earth  to  heaven  before  the  feet  of  the  just,  —  a 
path  shining  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day. 

We  are  saved  by  faith.  This  is  the  great  as- 
sertion, for  ever  true.  It  is  faith  which  saves  the 
soul,  —  faith  in  God,  in  truth,  in  goodness,  in  the 
power  of  love,  —  yes,  faith  in  ourselves.  It  is  faith 
which  saves  us  ;  not  the  faith  of  the  theologian, 
reasoning  out  his  sublimely  subtile  and  incompre- 
hensible dogmas,  not  the  cold  belief  of  the  bigot 
in  his  dusty  creed ;  but  the  faith  of  the  martyr,  up- 
borne amid  the  flames  by  confidence  in  a  great 
principle,  —  the  faith  of  Stephen,  to  whom,  as  the 
earth  was  closed,  the  heavens  were  opened. 


THE  soul's  assurance.  297 

"  He  heeded  not  reviliog  tones, 
Nor  sold  his  heart  to  idle  moans, 
Though  cursed,  and  scorned,  and  bruised  with  stones  ; 

But  looking  upward,  full  of  grace 
He  prayed,  and  from  a  happy  place 
God's  glory  smote  him  on  the  face." 

Nothing  but  such  a  faith  as  this,  —  a  sight  of 
spiritual  things,  a  clear  inward  knowledge  of 
God's  love,  an  assurance  of  pardon,  and  of  an 
ever-present  divine  help,  —  nothing  but  this  could 
have  given  the  early  Christians  strength  to  strug- 
gle against  the  stormy  ocean  of  opposition  and 
hatred  wliich  raged  around  them.  No  mere  be- 
lief in  Christ  founded  on  argument  or  evidence ; 
no  strong  probability  that  he  was  from  God  ;  no 
weight  of  logical  demonstration  ;  no  speculative 
persuasion  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  ;  no  hope  of 
a  future  heaven,  a  distant  immortality,  and  a  final 
rescue  from  sin,  —  could  have  enabled  them  to 
withstand  the  fearful  pressure  which  bore  upon 
them  from  all  quarters.  The  rancorous  hatred  of 
the  Pharisees,  and  the  iron  arm  of  Rome,  were  no 
mere  probabilities  ;  the  dungeon,  the  cross,  the 
scourge,  were  no  matters  of  speculation,  belief,  or 
logic  ;  slander,  abuse,  the  alienation  of  friends,  the 
triumph  of  foes,  —  these  were  not  distant  expec- 
tations, they   were  all  stern  daily  realities.     To 


298     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

resist  them  was  needed,  not  a  vague  belief,  but  an 
assurance,  a  knowledge,  a  personal  experience  of 
spiritual  joy.  This  was  given,  and  in  the  strength 
of  this  faith,  in  the  consciousness  of  a  heavenly 
inheritance,  a  divine  friendship,  and  a  present  sal- 
vation, all  external  trial  became  as  the  light  dust 
of  the  balance.  This  faith  in  a  love  of  God, 
which  they  had  seen  and  felt,  not  which  they 
hoped  for,  —  this  it  was  which  was  the  strength 
of  the  early  Church. 

We  need  no  less  now.  We  need  to  know  that 
God  loves  us  ;  we  need  to  be  sure  that  we  are  in  the 
right  way  ;  we  need  to  feel  that  our  sins  are  for- 
given, and  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.  With 
such  a  conviction  clear  and  strong  in  our  hearts, 
duty  is  pleasure,  trial  is  happiness.  Without  it, 
how  hard  to  struggle  against  sin,  how  hard  to 
make  daily  resolutions,  strive  with  daily  tempta- 
tions, begin  continually  an  ever-recurring  war- 
fare !  It  is  too  discouraging  ;  sooner  or  later  we 
must  give  up  in  despair. 

Still  it  may  be  objected,  "  Is  there  not  danger 
of  encouraging  false  hopes,  self-righteousness,  and 
presumption,  by  this  doctrine  ?  Are  not  humility 
and  self-distrust  recommended  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ?  Was  not  the  Pharisee  who  thought  him- 
self good  reproved,  and   the   publican  who  saw 


THE  soul's  assurance.  299 

his  sinfulness  commended  ?  Does  not  Paul  rec- 
ommend, that  we  should  not  think  of  ourselves 
more  highly  than  we  ought  to  think  ?  " 

Certainly,  we  should  not  think  of  ourselves  more 
highly  than  we  ought,  but  perhaps  neither  should 
we  think  less  highly.  The  New  Testament 
teaches  Christians  to  take  at  once  very  lowly  and 
very  lofty  views  of  themselves,  —  lowly  views  of 
their  attainments,  lofty  of  their  position  and  pros- 
pects ;  to  be  humble  when  they  look  at  what  they 
have  done,  hopeful  when  they  look  at  what  God 
has  done.  The  self-righteous  man  has  a  foolish 
confidence  in  himself  the  Christian  a  wise  confi- 
dence in  God  ;  the  hope  of  one  rests  on  an  in- 
ward fancy,  that  of  the  other  on  an  inward  fact. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  doctrine  we  have  been 
advocating,  while  it  is  full  of  comfort  to  those 
who  are  ready  to  examine  themselves,  and  to 
seek  for  the  witness  of  the  spirit,  is  full  of  warn- 
ing to  those  who  are  careless  and  indifferent.  It 
says  to  them :  If  you  do  not  know  that  you  are 
Christians,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  you  are 
not  so.  If  you  have  no  inward  knowledge  of  the 
love  of  God,  you  are  probably  not  yet  a  true 
disciple  of  Jesus.  There  is  still  a  work  for  you  to 
do :  you  are  still  to  be  born  of  the  spirit,  —  you 
still  need  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


300         THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

But  how  can  we  attain  this  assurance  ?  The 
first  thing  is,  to  believe  that  it  can  be  attained ; 
then  we  shall  make  it  our  object  to  attain  it.  Be- 
lieve then  that  you  can  know  you  are  sincere,  that 
yon  can  know  you  are  of  the  Truth,  that  you  can 
know  your  sins  are  forgiven,  that  you  can  know 
that  your  prayers  are  heard  and  answered.  To 
know  that  you  are  sincere,  examine  yourself,  look 
inward ;  see  if  you  have  any  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  see  if  you  desire  to  become 
holy.  If  you  find  that  you  have  this  desire,  that 
you  are  not  satisfied  with  outward  comfort  and 
outward  success  so  long  as  your  soul  is  not  right, 
then  yOu  will  know  that  you  are  in  earnest  in  the 
pursuit  of  a  divine  life.  Why  should  not  we  say 
with  the  Apostle's  boldness,  "  My  rejoicing  is  this, 
the  testimony  of  my  conscience,  that  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but 
by  the  grace  of  God,  I  have  had  my  conversa- 
tion in  the  world"?  Let  one  become  assured, 
by  a  faithful  examination  of  his  own  heart  before 
God,  that  he  is  sincere,  and  he  will  feel  strong 
and  happy.  Then  to  know  that  we  are  of  the 
Truth,  —  to  be  convinced  that  we  have  essential 
truth,  that  we  are  not  following  a  cunningly  de- 
vised fable  in  following  Christ,  —  to  be  sure  of 
this,  we  do  not  need  to  study  books  on  the  evi- 


THE  soul's  assurance.  301 

dences  of  Christianity  ;  for  these,  by  their  own 
confession,  can  only  give  probability.  But  we 
should  try  Christianity  itself,  live  by  it,  trust  in  it, 
look  to  Christ  for  a  revelation.  Then,  if  we  find 
that  he  does  bring  us  to  God,  we  shall  be  sure 
that  he  is  a  mediator  ;  if  we  find  that  he  does  re- 
veal God  to  us,  we  shall  know  that  he  was  sent 
to  reveal  God.  If  we  find  that  he  is  saving  us 
from  our  sins,  giving  us  strength  and  hope,  mak- 
ing the  trials  of  this  world  light,  and  the  hopes 
of  the  other  world  near,  then  we  shall  know  that 
he  is  a  Saviour.  If,  in  fine,  we  are  made  by  him 
to  be  at  one  with  God,  we  shall  be  sure,  without 
caring  to  study  the  controversies  about  the  doc- 
trine of  atonement,  that  we  have  the  essential 
truth  of  it.  I  do  not  mean  that  investigation,  in- 
quiry, and  study  of  these  subjects  are  unnecessary 
or  unimportant,  but  I  say  that  they  are  all  secon- 
dary to  the  experimental  knowledge  of  Christ, 
which  comes  to  us  from  applying  Christianity 
to  our  daily  life. 

Then,  once  more,  we  need  to  know  that  our 
sins  are  forgiven.  And  how  shall  we  know  this  ? 
By  feeling  that  we  have  peace  with  God,  —  by 
feeling  that  we  are  able  so  to  trust  in  the  divine 
compassion  and  infinite  tenderness  of  our  Father, 
as  to  arise  and  go  to  him,  whenever  we  commit 
26 


302     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

sin,  and  say  at  once  to  him,  "  Father,  I  have 
sinned  ;  forgive  me."  To  know  that  we  are  for- 
given, it  is  only  necessary  to  look  at  our  Father's 
love  till  it  sinks  into  our  heart,  to  open  our  soul  to 
him  till  he  shall  pour  his  love  into  it ;  to  wait  on 
him  till  we  find  peace,  till  our  conscience  no 
longer  torments  us,  till  the  weight  of  responsi- 
bility ceases  to  be  an  oppressive  burden  to  us,  till 
we  can  feel  that  our  sins,  great  as  they  are,  can- 
not keep  us  away  from  our  Heavenly  Father,  and 
are  able  to  say,  "  There  is  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus." 

And,  lastly,  we  need  to  know  that  God  hears 
our  prayers.  It  is  not  enough  to  believe  that  he 
does,  —  to  think  it  probable.  We  need  to  know, 
from  our  own  experience,  that  when  we  ask  any- 
thing according  to  his  will,  he  will  give  it  to  us. 
It  is  this  alone  which  can  establish  and  make 
strong  the  habit  of  prayer.  We  ought  to  be  able 
to  say,  from  our  own  knowledge  and  experience, 
that  we  shall  always  gain  light,  strength,  comfort, 
and  joy  by  drawing  near  to  God  in  prayer.  This 
will  bind  us  by  a  golden  chain  of  faith  and  con- 
fidence to  the  spiritual  world,  it  will  be  the  dear- 
est treasure  of  our  souls,  a  possession  of  which 
no  one  can  ever  rob  us,  a  comfort  which  will 
pour  light  on  the  darkest  hours  of  life. 


THE  soul's  content.  303 

Of  this  let  us  be  sure.  We  do  not  have  half 
the  comfort  we  might  have  in  our  religion,  be- 
cause of  a  false  humility,  which  not  only  distrusts 
itself,  which  it  often  ought  to  do,  but  also  distrusts 
God,  which  it  never  ought  to  do.  Because  we 
have  not  comfort  in  our  religion,  we  are  also  de- 
ficient in  strength  ;  for  I  repeat,  and  wish  to 
repeat,  now  and  for  ever,  that  faith,  confidence, 
hope,  and  joy  in  God,  are  the  sinews  of  all  good- 
ness, the  strength  of  all  manly  virtue,  and  that 
doubt,  anxiety,  fear,  and  inward  uncertainty  are 
the  strongest  allies  of  whatever  evils  war  against 
the  soul. 

§  55.   The  SouVs  Content. 

The  Apostle  tells  us,  "  I  have  learned,  in  what- 
soever state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content." 
But  is  contentment  always  so  good  a  thing  ? 
Have  we  any  right  to  be  contented  with  every 
state  in  which  we  are  ?  Ought  we  not  often  to 
be  discontented  ?  That  we  ought  to  be  discon- 
tented with  ourselves,  with  our  attainments,  our 
accomplishments,  our  efforts,  our  virtues,  is  very 
evident.  Self-dissatisfaction  is  the  spur  to  prog- 
ress. Robert  Hall  said,  "  I  am  constantly  tor- 
mented with  the  desire  to  preach  better  sermons 
than  I  can."     Because  he  was  so  tormented,  he 


304     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

preached  better  sermons  than  any  man  alive. 
Paul  was  not  contented  with  himself  or  his  ac- 
complishments. Elsewhere  he  declares  that  he 
does  not  count  himself  to  have  attained,  but, 
forgetting  what  is  behind,  he  presses  forward 
to  that  which  is  before. 

Yes,  you  may  say,  but  what  he  speaks  of  here 
is  his  outward  condition.  He  had  learned  to  be 
contented  with  that ;  he  knew  how  to  be  full,  and 
how  to  suffer  want ;  that  is  what  he  is  speaking 
of,  —  that  is  the  contentment  he  recommends. 
True,  but  this  does  not  quite  remove  our  diffi- 
culty. For  the  question  is.  Is  contentment  a  good 
and  right  state  of  mind,  or  is  it  not?  Does  the 
old  poet  say  truly, 

"TVhen  all  is  done  and  said,  in  the  end  thus  you  shall  find 
He  most  of  all  doth  bathe  in  bliss  who  hath  a  quiet  mind"  f 

If  contentment  is  a  good  state  of  mind,  is  it  not 
bad  to  be  discontented  even  with  one's  self? 
And  if  dissatisfaction  with  our  attainments  is  a 
spur  to  progress  and  effort,  is  not  dissatisfaction 
with  our  condition  also  a  necessary  spur  to  in- 
dustry and  labor  ?  Where  would  the  world,  where 
would  civilization  be,  if  all  men  were  just  as 
willing  to  be  poor  as  to  be  rich,  —  to  be  in  beg- 
gary and  hunger  and  nakedness,  as  in  compe- 
tence, —  to  be  destitute  of  the  means  of  gratifying 


THE  soul's  content.  305 

their  tastes,  as  to  possess  them  ?  Is  not  the  main 
difference  between  the  highest  civilization  of  Eu- 
rope, and  the  lowest  barbarism  of  Africa,  merely 
this,  —  that  the  European  is  constantly  struggling 
to  improve  his  outward  condition,  while  the  Afri- 
can is  contented  to  live  in  a  hovel,  to  go  half- 
naked,  and  eat  roots  and  fruit  ?  If  civilization, 
culture,  refinement,  knowledge,  are  desirable,  then 
the  means  for  their  attainment  are  also  desirable  ; 
and  among  these,  none  are  more  essential  than 
dissatisfaction  with  our  outward  position,  for  this 
is  the  root  and  first  spring  of  all  civilization. 

We  very  often  hear  it  said  that  the  right  way 
to  attain  contentment  is  to  reduce  our  desires  with- 
in the  smallest  limits.  If  we  wish  for  very  little, 
we  shall  be  satisfied  with  very  little.  "  Have 
few  wants,''''  is  preached  to  us  continually  by  the 
most  eminent  moralists.  An  Italian  beggar,  who 
only  wishes  to  lie  in  the  sun  and  eat  maccaroni,  has 
fewer  wants  than  an  enterprising  New-Englander. 
Asia  has  fewer  wants  than  Europe,  —  Africa 
than  Asia.  A  dog  has  fewer  wants  than  a  man, 
for  the  savage  needs  a  hut  and  some  few  tools 
and  weapons,  while  the  dog  needs  only  a  hole  in 
the  ground,  and  liberty  to  roam  after  his  prey. 
A  tree  has  fewer  wants  than  a  dog,  for  it  only 
wants  to  stand  still  and  have  sunshine  and  air 
26* 


306     THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF   PRAYER. 

around  its  head,  earth  and  water  around  its  roots. 
And  a  stone  has  the  fewest  wants  of  all,  for  it 
needs  only  a  place  to  lie  in.  Now  a  system  of 
morals  which  tends  doionwards  in  this  way,  and 
the  legitimate  logical  result  of  which  would  be  to 
make  us  wish  for  the  condition  of  a  stone,  can- 
not be  founded  in  truth  and  reason. 

Moreover,  if  we  should  reduce  our  desires  to 
the  smallest  limits,  and  come  to  live  a  hermit  Hfe 
on  a  little  bread  and  water,  wrapt  in  a  coarse 
cloth,  and  dwelling  in  a  little  cell,  still  I  doubt 
if  true  contentment  would  be  thereby  attained. 
The  discontent  which  quarrels  with  outward  things 
is  symptomatic.  Men  are  discontented  with  their 
outward  position,  because  they  are  dissatisfied 
with  their  inward  state.  They  know  they  need 
something,  and  they  cannot  be  contented  till  that 
something  is  attained ;  but  they  think  that  what 
they  want  is  a  little  more  money,  a  better  house, 
more  praise,  more  power,  this  office,  that  situa- 
tion. If  they  have  them,  they  will  not  be  con- 
tented, —  if  they  make  up  their  mind  to  do  with- 
out them,  they  will  not  be  contented  ;  for  the  root 
of  their  discontent  remains  within  their  own 
mind.  Like  the  man  in  a  fever,  who  tosses  from 
side  to  side  of  his  couch,  hoping  to  find  an  easier 
position,  when  the  cause  of  his  restlessness  is  not 


THE  soul's  content.  307 

in  his  position,  but  in  himself,  so  the  discon- 
tented man  will  be  discontented  until  he  is  cured 
of  his  disease.  Surrounded  with  every  luxury 
that  wealth  can  purchase  or  ingenuity  invent,  he 
is  still  discontented,  restless,  dissatisfied ;  or  if 
poor  and  destitute,  he  is  envious,  repining,  and_ 
covetous.  Contentment  comes  neither  from  pov- 
erty nor  from  riches,  it  comes  from  the  state  of 
the  soul,  and  flows  from  within  out. 

The  problem  of  contentment,  then,  is  this,  — 
to  be  contented  with  our  present  position  what- 
ever it  may  be,  and  yet  endeavor  to  improve  it 
and  make  it  better  ;  —  to  be  contented  in  poverty 
while  in  it,  and  yet  hope  to  rise  above  it,  —  to  be 
contented  while  ignorant,  and  yet  seek  for  knowl- 
edge ;  —  to  say  always,  "  I  have  enough,"  yet  be 
willing  to  receive  more,  if  God  sees  fit  to  open 
the  way  for  it;  —  in  short,  not  to  lay  much  stress, 
one  way  or  the  other,  on  our  outward  position, 
but  to  have  the  fountain  of  contentment  within, 
in  a  full  and  active  soul. 

Such  contentment  is  not  sluggishness,  not  the 
contentment  of  a  stone,  not  the  absence  of  desire, 
not  the  insensible  unprogressive  condition  of  a 
savage.  A  man  may  be  contented  where  he  is, 
because  he  is  conscious  that  he  is  full  of  life,  and 
must  make  progress.     A  man  may  be  contented 


308  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

to  be  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  because  he  is  so 
rich  in  powers  of  thought  and  affection,  capable 
of  ample  enjoyment  in  the  activity  of  his  mind 
and  heart. 

True  contentment  is  noble.  It  is  the  perfect 
poise  of  a  well-balanced  mind ;  of  a  healthy  na- 
ture ;  of  one  who  has  no  vague  wishes,  no  incon- 
sistent wants  ;  who  knows  what  he  would  have 
and  how  to  attain  it ;  who  can  wait  when  patience 
is  necessary  and  work  when  work  is  timely,  not 
daunted  by  failure,  not  elated  by  success.  Such 
content  comes  as  the  ripe  fruit  of  long  experi- 
ence. "  I  have  learned,''''  says  Paul,  "  in  what- 
soever state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content."  It  is 
not  a  gift  of  nature  or  grace,  not  a  constitutional 
endowment,  but  something  to  be  acquired  by 
struggle.  It  is  not  the  fruit  of  conversion,  for 
Paul,  though  converted,  had  to  learn  it.  And 
now  let  us  see  how  it  is  learned. 

We  learn  to  be  contented  with  our  situation, 
when  we  see  how  independent  of  situation  are 
all  the  great  blessings  of  life,  —  that  real  hap- 
piness is  not  given  to  any  select  circle  or  private 
class.  God's  great  gifts  are  Love,  Knowledge, 
Truth,  and  Goodness,  and  these  are  everywhere, 
—  they  are  not  monopolized  by  any  rank  or  sphere 
of  society. 


309 


How  many  a  miserable  room  in  our  cities  is 
made  dear  and  precious  by  the  love  which  in- 
habits it !  How  many  a  splendid  house  is  dwelt 
in  by  cold  and  unsympathizing  hearts  !  Which 
makes  the  best  home,  love  or  fine  parlors  ?  It  is 
the  smile  of  welcome,  it  is  the  warm  grasp  of  a 
friend's  hand,  it  is  the  cordial  sympathy,  which 
alone  makes  a  home  out  of  brick  and  mortar  ; 
and  these  are  to  be  found  among  the  rich  and  the 
poor  alike.  So  it  is  with  sagacity,  knowledge, 
insight ;  —  how  little  do  these  depend  on  circum- 
stances !  Sir  Robert  Peel's  father  gave  his  son 
fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year  to  begin  life  with  ; 
Benjamin  Franklin  had  nothing  ;  but  both  be- 
came men  of  rare  sagacity.  Universal  as  the  air 
which  enters  the  palace  and  the  cottage, — as  the 
sunlight  which  sleeps  on  the  smoky  rafters  of  the 
one,  and  illuminates  the  marbles  and  mirrors  of  the 
other,  —  love  and  knowledge,  truth  and  goodness, 
find  their  way  into  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men 
and  women  in  all  classes,  in  all  situations.  In 
the  uneducated  we  often  see  a  native  refinement 
and  purity  which  come  direct  from  God  ;  often 
in  the  educated  we  find  only  a  polished  coarse- 
ness, a  civil  selfishness,  —  mean  thoughts  and  low 
aims.  And  yet  we  often  see  among  the  opulent 
and  fashionable   less  of  aristocracy,  and   more 


810      THE    CHraSTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    PRAYER. 

real  humanity  and  democracy,  than  among  those 
less  favored,  —  they  are  simple,  unpretending, 
and  humble.  So  among  the  uneducated  and  poor, 
we  find  a  noble  dignity  of  character,  self-respect, 
and  true  refinement.  These  things  are  indepen- 
dent of  situation,  they  depend  on  character. 

So,  too,  we  learn  to  be  content  where  we  are, 
by  finding  how  equal  are  the  trials  of  life  ; 

"  To  each  their  sufferings,  —  all  are  men, 
Condemned  alike  to  groan." 

Addison,  in  the  Spectator,  tells  a  dream,  in  which 
he  imagined  that  it  was  decreed  by  Jupiter  that 
all  unhappy  persons  might  change  their  ti'oubles 
with  each  other.  So  all  began  immediately  to 
trade  away  their  calamities.  One  man  exchanged 
his  poverty  for  a  fit  of  sickness  ;  one  gave  up 
the  gout,  and  took  instead  an  undutiful  son.  But 
very  soon  they  found  their  new  troubles  worse 
than  the  old  to  which  they  had  become  ac- 
customed, and  were  very  glad  to  change  back 
again.  We  often  see  persons  who  seem  the 
favorites  of  Fortune,  and  others  who  seem  the 
mark  for  all  her  arrows.  But  when  we  look 
closer,  we  see  drawbacks  and  compensations. 
There  is  always  a  fly  in  the  ointment,  always  a 
blessing  with  the  trial.  "  We  are  the  trees  whom 
shaking  fastens  more."     The  fiery  trial  devel- 


THE    soul's    content.  311 

ops  Strength  and  beauty  in  the  character,  just 
as  the  dikes  of  lava  which  broke  their  way- 
through  the  rocky  strata  of  the  earth  changed 
them  as  they  passed  into  beautiful  marbles  and 
precious  gems. 

But  especially  do  we  learn  to  be  content  with 
our  situation,  by  learning  to  see  God  in  all  things. 
Where  we  are,  God  has  placed  us ;  what  we  have, 
God  has  given  us.  A  traveller  arrived  at  the 
gate  of  a  town  late  at  night,  and  found  it  closed  ; 
for  bands  of  robbers  were  in  the  neighborhood. 
"  What  my  Father  does  is  good,"  said  he,  fas- 
tened his  horse  to  a  tree,  lighted  his  lantern, 
and  lay  down  to  sleep.  In  the  night  a  storm 
came,  blew  out  his  light,  and  his  affrighted  horse 
broke  his  rein  and  ran  away.  "  What  my  Fa- 
ther does  is  good,"  said  he,  and  went  to  sleep 
again.  In  the  morning  he  went  to  the  town,  and 
found  that  the  robbers  had  come  in  the  night, 
broken  into  it,  and  carried  off  the  inhabitants. 
Had  he  been  in  it,  he  had  been  taken  too  ;  and 
the  storm,  which  extinguished  his  light,  prevented 
them  from  seeing  him.  When  we  are  able  to 
say,  "  What  my  Father  does  is  good,"  we  shall 
have  learned,  in  whatever  state  v/e  are,  therewith 
to  be  content. 

x\gain.     By  living  for  a  good  object,  we  learn 


312  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  PRAYER. 

to  be  content.  The  root  of  all  discontent  is  self- 
love,  —  the  root  of  true  content  is  work  done  in 
love  for  true  ends.  He  who  is  usefully  employed 
is  satisfied  wherever  he  may  be.  Whether  his 
work  is  to  dig  the  foundation,  or  finish  the  inner 
gilding  of  his  master's  house,  the  consciousness 
of  usefulness  makes  him  cheerful  and  happy. 
While  our  heart  is  in  getting,  we  can  never  get 
enough,  we  can  never  be  satisfied.  But  if  our 
heart  is  in  giving,  in  doing  good  to  others,  —  if 
we  live  for  that,  then  there  comes  a  healthy  and 
serene  cheerfulness,  which  spreads  joy  over  life, 
and  makes  death,  when  it  comes,  welcome,  though 
unwished  for. 

How  many  there  are  in  our  community  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  which  life  can  offer, 
—  health,  fortune,  friends,  every  opportunity,  — 
wiio  are  yet  miserable,  simply  because  they  have 
no  useful  occupation,  —  because  they  are  not  in- 
terested in  any  good  work,  doing  nothing  for 
their  fellow-men. 

"  Some  murmur  when  their  sky  is  clear, 

And  wholly  bright  to  view, 
If  one  small  speck  of  dark  appear, 

In  their  great  heaven  of  blue ; 
And  some  with  thankful  love  arc  filled, 

If  but  one  streak  of  lisht. 


313 


One  ray  of  God's  good  mercy,  gild 
The  darkness  of  their  night." 

The  reason  is,  that  the  one  is  living  for  himself 
alone ;  the  other  is  living  for  his  brother.  This 
is  the  soul's  contentment,  the  satisfaction  flow- 
ing out  of  a  deep  spiritual  life,  —  a  life  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.  This  Christian  contentment  is 
paired  with  a  Christian  discontent,  and  the  one 
and  the  other  lead  us  to  the  mercy-seat  of  God, 
and   fill  us  more  and   more   with  the  spirit  of 

PRAYER. 


THE    END. 


Date  Due 

m  . 

^ 

1    1012  01021   5582 


